


Destiny

by ofQuillsandInk



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Amulet, Amulets, Comedy, Fantasy, Fights, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Inhuman, Magic, Magic-Users, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Universe, power, powers, teen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-04 02:06:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11545200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofQuillsandInk/pseuds/ofQuillsandInk
Summary: Finding an amulet forever stuck around your neck is shocking, both figuratively and literary.Vanessa Timberwood reacted no differently than the rest when she received hers from the girl that appeared out of nowhere. From there, a new dimension called The Haven opens up for her, unravelling the powers and gifts of the selected people that visit, reside, and learn the unknown there.Unlike the others, she along with five other strangers are part of a prophecy in which they must save worlds together, as it is their destiny.But with an force possessing the residents one by one through their fears and slowly gaining influence, can they save themselves first?---Will contain violence, slight gore and mild language.





	1. Prologue

_It was silent._

_It was the type of silence that hung over a graveyard on a cloudy and gloomy day, when the sky is filled with fog and when dead flowers and leaves lay on the weathered gravestones._

_It was the type of silence that meant the presence of death was near._

_The young man drew in quick and shallow breaths with his back against a tree. Snow was falling heavily down on him. The cold, icy wind sent chills down his spine. He heard snow crunching and dead twigs snapping, which grew louder and louder by the seconds._

_Snap._

_Snap._

_SNAP._

_He sucked a lungful of cold air and swallowed a lump in his throat. The night sky seemed to grow darker as clouds covered the stars. His legs buckled. He felt so weak, as if all the energy in his body was being sucked out of him._

_Well, that was exactly what was happening._

_"I know you're here, Jack," a low, rough voice said, sounding more like a hungry wolf's growl rather than a human being. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack spotted black, shadowy tendrils flicking around the tree that he leaned against. The tree shriveled, rapidly withering within seconds. A mass amount of crumpled leaves fell off and fluttered to the ground. He jumped, and looked at the figure right in the eyes._

_There was no sign of life in those eyes._

_The murky, blue glow on his chest dimmed. He flicked his wrist and snow sprayed in all directions, creating a cover for him, even though he knew it was no use. The figure step through the geyser of snow. It immediately stopped in mid air and toppled down to the ground. The figure lifted its hooded head and breathed in as streams of turquoise energy swarmed out from the fallen snow and into its body. The figure's tendrils flickered it and marched onwards, as the turquoise light faded away to pitch black and became one with the shadowy figure._

_"There is nowhere to run," The figure said clearly in an unnervingly calm tone._

_Jack glanced at his surroundings that were filled with never-ending patches of white snow and pine trees. He grunted, summoning the icicles that snapped off the trees. Thrusting his hand towards the figure, he sent the sharp icicles zooming at it. The figure made no attempt to dodge. When the icicles collided, they plopped down to the ground. The figure looked down at the icicle and collected more of the turquoise energy that flowed around him. The figure absorbed the energy within, making the icicles fuse with the ground beneath, like a dead branch sticking up from the ground. Jack's breath shuddered. His legs shook. Backing away, Jack clenched his fists and readied himself. He splayed his hand open and ice grew at the figure's feet. The figure tilted its head and looked down, watching the ice crystals eat it away. The ice grew on the figure and climbed onto its body, trapping him in ice from head to toe._

_There was a moment of silence._

_Jack sighed and stared at the ice statue. Still weary and cautious, he slowly crept towards the frozen figure as the glow on his chest changed to pastel blue._

_CRACK. The statue burst and shards of ice flew everywhere. Jack yelped as the chunks of ice hit him, knocking him to the ground. The figure once again collected the turquoise glow from the ice, making Jack hack madly and hyperventilate._

_His knees collapsed as the figure marched towards him. A dark tendril shot out from the figure. It twisted around his arm and zoomed at Jack, grabbing ahold of his limbs. He cried out as the black energy sank into his chest, spreading out through his body. A tendril snaked around an object on his chest, creating a dirty grey overlay on glow on his chest. Jack gasped and his eyes shot wide open as the tendril sank into the glow._

_The figure's face seemed to shift. It flickered and more darkness flowed towards the head. It morphed into a feminine head, the tendrils on the head splitting and forming a human face wearing a blank expression. Its body morphed into a human one._

_"You are at stage one cancer," the illusion said, staring into Jack's eyes._

_"No no no, I am NOT!" Jack cried, shaking his limbs violently, trying to free himself._

_The illusion showed no emotion. "Yes. Yes you are. There is no denial in that."_

_"I CAN'T!" Jack screamed. "I WON'T!!!"_

_The illusion tilted its head. "You are feeling grief, aren't you?"_

_Jack snarled. The illusion nodded._

_"I thought so. It is a perfectly normal and human reaction, really. Imagine your family. Your friends. I wonder what they will think when they realise you are being diagnosed with such a despicable disease? They will be heartbroken for sure oh wait, I remembered something. They won't care at all."_

_"STOP IT!" Jack sobbed. "I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"_

_"Of course you do. I'm just stating the facts." The illusion said. "You seem unaware about the people around you."_

_"You won't help me!" Jack yelled, the glow growing darker and darker. "You'll just take me and CONTROL—"_

_"I wonder what your death will be like," the illusion interrupted. "Well, maybe no one will care. Your parents despise your attitude towards your education. Seriously. You can't read or write or say complex sentences properly. What a useless, dumb, moron. Who knows, maybe your parents won't mind that they'll have one less mouth to feed."_

_Jack opened his mouth and said nothing. Questions gnawed at his brain. He panted hard. This was all his fault, wasn't it? His heart fell. Who knew where all that arsenic came from. It was most likely his fault. The doctors have warned him and his parents but he didn't listen. He didn't want to. The hair tests were told to be inaccurate, weren't they? The doctor said that — the doctor lied in his face. It was 100% accurate, but he was too daft and naive to listen. All the money used up for numerous tests and all he cared was about himself. This is his fault, and his parents would blame him, and his friends will hate him, and he will be all alone as his lungs rots away._

_He sniffed. "It's all my fault."_

_The illusion nodded. "Nothing but a useless boy, wasting other people's time."_

_Jack's head sunk. The glow on his chest faded to a colour as dark as shadows._

_The illusion smiled and flickered. "I can help you show them the truth. Show them that you're... Worth something. Can you feel it? The feeling of hope and love wrapped around you like a warm blanket?"_

_Jack tilted his head and nodded slowly._

_"Do you want to help me? To show your worth? That you're not just another idiot?"_

_Jack nodded again._

_The illusion flickered back to the figure. It stared at Jack's chest, concentrating on the black glow. It lifted the glowing object out of Jack's shirt, revealing a pitch black crystal necklace. Suddenly, it flicked a tendril. A huge stream of black energy shot the crystal. Jack screamed as his body lunged, jolting with energy. An aura of turquoise light grew visible around Jack. It grew darker as the amulet filled with more dark energy._

_The figure stopped abruptly when Jack's aura and amulet was pitch black. The figure released its tendrils. Jack fell and collapsed onto his knees. Drawing in deep breaths, he forced himself to stand up. The figure stared at him as he shakily rose to his feet._

_Jack breathed heavily, looking at the figure in the eye. He blinked a couple times, slightly dazed._

_When he regained his focus, his muscles relaxed._

_"Please," he pleaded. "Take me. I don't want to be useless."_

_The figure looked down at him._

_"I already have. But first, I need to ask you about the mission you were sent on here..."_

_Jack's eyes filled with anticipation._

_"Where is the Destined Fifth?"_

_Jack trembled with excitement. "I can show you! I know exactly where she is! Well, sort of, but I'm sure we could find the Fifth! We have to hurry up though. They don't like it when we see the truth, so they'll send another one to get the Fifth."_

_The figure paused for a moment. He looked up at the snow falling to the ground, then back down at Jack._

_"That shouldn't be a problem."_


	2. The Amulet

"Vanessa, Vanessa!"

Must ignore. Need to stay. Nice and warm in bed.

"Vanessa! Wake up!"

Vanessa let out a groan as her father shook her shoulder. She pulled the soft covers over her head. "Five more minutes, dad..."

Her father yanked her blanket off. Vanessa groaned again and sat upright. Black strands of hair stuck up here and there.

"Didn't the weather forecast say that today was going to be snowing heavily?" Vanessa grumbled groggily, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "There shouldn't be school today." 

"The forecast isn't always correct, so get up!" her father replied. "Come one! If you need a little motivation, the bus is arriving in about five minutes."

Vanessa froze and sharply turned her head. Her eyes widened. "What?"

"You heard me, only five minutes!" Her dad raised his eyebrows and cocked his head, gesturing towards the door. A grin grew on his face. "You better hurry."

Her dad strolled out of her small room as Vanessa scrambled to her wardrobe. Grabbing a thick, white, turtleneck top and a pair of black snow pants, she skidded across the wooden floor and darted to the bathroom. Once she slammed the door shut, she got dressed, tangling herself in her shirt's long sleeves. Jumping into her pants, she fumbled with her toothbrush and brushed her teeth, gargled, and spat the foamy water out.

Swinging the bathroom door open, she grabbed a pair of socks and slid down the stairs. Her mother was sitting on the inner side of the pantry, which was beside the flight of wooden stairs. A miniature black and silver Schnauzer started barking. Vanessa grabbed the peanut butter and jelly sandwich off the pantry table and held it in her mouth as she slung her dark blue backpack over her shoulders.

"Sweetie? What's the rush?" Her mother called as she watched Vanessa stomping her feet into her short snow boots.

"Fe schooh buhs if arrifing in hess the fif minifs!" Vanessa jabbered with the sandwich jammed in her mouth. Once she pulled her gloves on, she pushed down the door handle and swung it open, letting the chilly, cold air into the house. The dog continued to bark and whine. "Bfye mom, bfye dad! Gotta go!"

The door was closed on her mother's confused face. She set down the mug of coffee she was holding. The Schnauzer walked towards her and sat by her feet.

"Kennedy, what did you tell her?" Vanessa's mother asked with a quizzical look on her face. Kennedy shrugged and smiled as he took the warm drink in his hands.

"I just told her to hurry or she'll miss the bus, Lauren," Kennedy replied calmly with a mellow smile.

\---

Vanessa ran down the over-snowed path that lead from her home, which was a small, wooden house that would be considered a cottage. Snow fell from the sky as the snow crunched beneath her snow shoes. Vanessa wasn't the running type; she had a fairly stocky but muscular build and her clothing doesn't show much curves, so when combined with her slightly masculine face, she appears to be a male at first glance.

Going as fast as her legs could take her, she raced down the snowy slope, careful not to slip, fall, or getting tripped by a stray rock or branch. She rubbed her icy blue eyes with the back of her gloved hand and blinked, looking ahead at the snow-covered bus stop that stood on the paved ground.

The bus wasn't there.

Vanessa groaned and sighed loudly, looking up at the sky in frustration. Panting, she slowed to a walk and took the saliva-soggy sandwich out of her mouth. She made a disgusted look, but proceeded to eat it anyway. She took big, slow bites out of the sandwich and licked the jam that dribbled on her hand. With the bus gone, she'll have to walk to school. She wasn't sure about how long it'll take to get there, but-

Her train of thought was cut by the sound of an engine, followed by a loud squeak. Vanessa looked up from the sandwich in her hand and found herself staring at a yellow school bus.

"Oh my God, DAMMIT DAD! You just had to, didn't you?" Vanessa cursed and shook her head as she jogged towards the school bus. "Should've checked the damn clock!"

Cramming the last pieces of sandwich in her mouth, she stepped into the bus. There weren't a lot of students in the bus. There was an unspoken etiquette in this bus where everyone had a permanent seat, and no one else could sit there. It gave everyone had their own bubble of privacy, with rows of seats separating them. Most were staring out of the window with earphones plugged into their ears, while the wiser ones were fast asleep. The slackers, as she liked to call them in her head, had their books opened and notes scattered on their lap and the empty seat beside them, doing some last minute studying or finishing up homework.

Vanessa turned left and plopped into her usual seat, which the seat right behind the door, next to the window. She shrugged her bag of and dumped it on the seat next to her. Still chewing, she pulled out her iPod and stuck her earphones in. The rhythmic drum beats of a rock song played as she closed her eyes, wanting to make up for the time lost due to her dad waking her up early.

The bus door made a squeak as it began to close. The squeak suddenly stopped. It started again as the door swung again. Vanessa straightened her posture and opened her eyes. She looked out of the window and spotted a twelve year old copper-brown haired girl running towards the bus. The dark teal beanie she wore was too big for her. She was wearing a thick, oversized cream coloured jacket that bounced with every quick step, and pastel pink earmuffs with velvet red gloves.

"Definitely a foreigner," Vanessa thought to herself, a subtle smirk growing on her face.

The girl jumped onto the bus. Her lips were coloured with a tinge of blue from the cold. She briefly looked at the passengers as they stared back at the unfamiliar girl. Some were smiling, some simply ignored her, but Vanessa closed her eyes and turned towards the window.

"Don't sit here," Vanessa thought.

The girl walked a few steps forward, and looked at Vanessa. She felt the girl's stare, and a sentence she dreaded came out of her mouth.

"G'day, mate. Sorry, but... May I sit here?"

Great. Out of all the people, she just had to ask her.

Vanessa pretended to be asleep, but the girl kept pursuing her. She tapped on Vanessa's shoulder and made a sheepish smile. Vanessa sighed and subtlety glared at the freckled-faced girl.

"There are other seats. This one's occupied," she mumbled.

"Uh, yes, I know it's occupied, but it's occupied by your..." The girl pointed at Vanessa's bag. "Um, bag..."

The door was closing. The engine started.

"Sit down," the driver ordered.

Vanessa opened her mouth in protest, but closed it. It'll be pointless to waste her breath on this. She sighed again and dragged her bag to her side and the girl quickly sat down.

Vanessa sighed and shifted in her seat. The girl looked at her. "I'm Casey, by the way," the girl said before Vanessa managed to turn away. "Casey Jones."

Vanessa stared at Casey with a look of indifference on her face. She did not want to interact with anyone right now. Casey kept staring back at her, as if expecting a reply. A few seconds passed. Vanessa finally responded.

"Vanessa Timberwood."

Her parents taught her that there was a fine line between ignoring strangers and being rude, and told her to introduce herself to other people more. In her mind, Vanessa decided to not be rude, but not to be too welcoming as well. The last thing she wanted was to show Casey around and to be her 'welcome buddy' or some other random thing. Besides, she should be interacting with kids her age at school instead of her.

The bus started to make its way to the public school Vanessa went to. This girl made Vanessa feel uncomfortable. She was too open and too welcoming compared to the other kids on this bus. It was as if she was intruding her privacy on purpose. Well, she already was.

"Gosh, it's bloody cold here in Canada," Casey commented, looking at Vanessa. Vanessa raised her eyebrows in response. This weather was perfectly normal and tolerable to Albertans. "Lucky for you mates, you're able to tolerate this sort of weather. Back home in Brisbane, I always wished for a colder weather. Now, I completely regret that choice." Casey gave a small chuckle as she unloved her globes and rubbed her frozen hands.

"Australia, eh?" Vanessa thought. "That explains the accent."

Lucky for Vanessa, Casey shut up for the rest of the thirty minute bus ride. Casey was constantly fidgeting in her seat while jiggling her leg. Vanessa noticed how Casey didn't have a bag of any sort. Perhaps her books were already in school. Maybe they were with another friend of hers.

The rest of the ride went by like a breeze as the chatterbox kept her mouth shut, so Vanessa managed to get a quick shut-eye. Once Vanessa felt the bus pull to a stop, she paused the song that was playing and packed her iPod and earphones away in the front pocket of her bag. When the doors opened, Casey jumped up. She stepped aside with a smile, letting Vanessa exit first. Vanessa hurried away. She really didn't want to show Casey around.

"Hey-HEY! Oi, Vanessa!" Casey called. Vanessa crossed her fingers and pretended not to hear her. "Vanessa, your bag's unzipped!"

Vanessa stopped. She was about to unsling her bag when Casey stopped her.

"S'alright, I'll help you with that," she said cheerfully. She quickly zipped her bag up and smiled.

"Thanks..." Vanessa said, making a curious look before turning and walking away. She clearly remembered zipping up the front pocket when she packed away her iPod. Out of curiosity and to see whether Casey was following, she turned around.

The Australian girl was nowhere to be seen.

Vanessa shrugged. She probably got mixed into the crowd of students. That was good for her: Casey wouldn't be able to find her, and she wouldn't have to worry about Casey bothering her. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she proceeded to walk into the school and headed towards her locker.

\---

"So let me get this straight," a dark skinned girl with a wavy, black ponytail said. "There was this girl who suddenly appeared at your spot, despite never being there on that bus or living anywhere near the stop."

"Yup," Vanessa answered, rifling through her bag for her math books for the first period.

"And then she helped you re-zip the pocket you zipped up properly."

"Yup."

"Huh. Weird. Probably nothing to fret about. Just watch out for her."

"I will."

Vanessa's friend, Natasha, was the very first friend she made in this school. She showed her around and invited her to sit with her, despite Vanessa wanting to stay by herself in her own bubble of privacy. Before she met Natasha in first grade, she was that shy, tall, girl who was someone of few words. She aloof and distanced herself from other girls, trying to blend in the crowd despite standing out. Whenever she talked to the other students, she carefully chose the words she spoke and would sit by herself during recess and lunch, busy reading and studying books about animals. Even though it looked like Vanessa wanted to be alone, she truly wanted friends. She enjoys being alone, but she doesn't want to be lonely. She thought that a person would only have a small number of close friends, so she searched for someone like her. She kept looking for someone like her among the white sheep.

Unfortunately, she was the black sheep.

Natasha was pretty much the exact opposite of her, which made people wonder how they became friends. Vanessa was pretty sure that the only reason Natasha approached her and stuck by her was because she was new and was alone. They did get closer and Vanessa grew the habit of sitting beside Natasha in classes, but over time, especially in secondary school, Natasha drifted away and sat with her own clique, who didn't see Vanessa as one of them. However, Natasha still occasionally hung out with Vanessa and had her back. She was trustworthy, kind, and had the confidence of a lion, speaking up for Vanessa when she had no voice.

"Oh yeah, have you heard about Jack?" Natasha said.

Jack was the second friend Vanessa had. She met him when she joined the hockey program at school. Vanessa was once again alone, as she was the only girl in the team. The other boys did make fun of her and pushed her buttons, but Vanessa stood her ground and bit back with her sharp wit - or with a sharp swing of a hockey stick to the knee. Jack was the one who approached her and helped her out while defending Vanessa - even though she learned to deal with the team using intimidation, which she was good at. The team eventually accepted her as a member and even respected her as a strong team member.

"No. What happened?"

Natasha sighed. "Do you never check your emails?"

"I rarely go online in the first place," Vanessa chuckled.

"Tsk tsk tsk!" Natasha shook her head. "Girl, you really should! If you got an email, use it! If you got a phone, use it! Man, sometimes I wonder what on earth you do in your free time!"

"Winter chores are already occupying my free time," Vanessa said as the two walked towards their next class. "And besides, I like going to the nature reserve my mom works at."

"Ah, right, the nature reserve. You never get sick of that place, do you?" Natasha laughed. "Anyway, two days ago on Saturday, Jack sent an email about the problem he has. Apparently he actually does have lung cancer, and he's scared to death of it. Petrified, even!"

Vanessa's eyes widened and raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

Natasha sighed sadly. "Yep. No wonder he keeps coughing really hoarsely and has been looking all weak and all. He said that it's still minor, but hey, it's still cancer. It's probably why he's not here as well."

Vanessa nodded sympathetically as the two sat down in their seats in the math classroom.

A group of girl in bright colours with makeup on their faces walked into the class and called out to Natasha, clicking their bracelets as they waved her hand. Natasha laughed and headed towards her group as Vanessa gave a small smile which the clique ignored. She didn't mind the fact that Natasha had her own circle of friends she sat with all the time. If she were dead honest, she'd say that she prefers being alone while knowing that there's still someone to fall back to.

The school bell rung. Mr. Reynolds, possibly the most entertaining math teacher ever, asked everyone to take out their math books. Vanessa pulled her books out and zipped her bag up. Just as she was about to sling it behind her chair, she felt an unusual feeling warmth radiating from her bag. Raising an eyebrow, she patted the bag, trying to find the source of it. Her hand moved to the front pocket of the bag and a burst of warmth enveloped her hand. She quickly unzipped the pocket and fished out a crystal amulet that was never.

"What the..?" Vanessa muttered. She touched the crystal and the warmth spread through her entire arm, sending a small but harmless prickling feeling on the surface of her skin that touched the amulet. She placed the amulet in her pocket and zipped her bag up.

She mentally planned to examine the amulet later at her home, or to ask Casey about it since she was most likely the person who hid the amulet in her bag. As the class progressed, the idea of observing the amulet nagged in her brain even more. She tried to push it aside, but it came back with another thought. Why was this amulet radiating heat? Was it a conductor of some sort of heat or energy? Why isn't it cold on this winter day? What's so special about this amulet?

And most of all, why did Casey give it to her?

Her mental argument about the amulet stopped when the school bell rang once again. "Screw it," she thought to herself. "I'm going to figure out what the hell this is, and what it does."

Vanessa made a beeline to the restroom. Looking down at the floor to avoid any eye contact, she entered a cubicle and locked the green door. She dropped her bag, closed the lid of the toilet, and sat down. Vanessa pulled out the amulet from her pocket and inspected it closely. She observed the amulet from all sides. It was translucent and was in a three dimensional shape of an elongated hexagon, with it's tips on the top and bottom extending to meet a point. On the top, there was a small, metallic ring that connected the amulet to the black, metal string covered in a leather-like material. The amulet was about the size of her thumb, and the string was long enough to Vanessa to wear.

The thought of wearing the amulet ripped through other thoughts and observations like a bullet. Hesitant, she lifted the string, pressed her fingers, and looped it around her neck while holding the amulet.

Nothing unusual happened, asides from the warm, tingling sensation spreading to her entire body.

She let out a long breath. She probably should be at her next class by now. She dropped the amulet into her turtleneck, hidden.

Once the amulet touched her breastbone, a current of electric-like energy shot through her body.

Vanessa let out a sharp breath. Her blue eyes widened in shock. The colour on her face drained away. Her heartbeat accelerated. Vanessa's skin felt as if it was on fire and there were a million bugs biting her skin. The lights of the bathroom wildly flickered above, and shut off. The world spun dizzily as screams and surprised yells from outside entered the bathroom. Vanessa jolted as energy was sucked out of her like a typhoon as the amulet buzzed and sent more prickles and tingles of energy. The amulet started to glow blindingly bright with a green light. Vanessa yelped and shielded her eyes. She tried to stand up, reaching out for the green walls to balance herself. The prickles and tingles grew into a stabbing pain where the amulet rested on. Vanessa bit her sleeved arm cried out a muffled scream. She screwed her eyes shut. The pain kept growing intensely for what felt like minutes. She just wanted the pain to go away and never ever come back. She just wanted it to stop right now-

The amulet stopped buzzing. Vanessa was bent over, panting. She felt lightheaded. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. She felt like she could fall limp in seconds. After a few seconds, all the lights flickered back on. There were murmurs of confusion in the hallways. Panicking, she reached for the amulet. It was still warm and sent pricks of energy on her fingers, and had a small, soft and subtle green glow around it. She grabbed it and tried to pull it off, but before the amulet reached beyond her chin, it sent a blazing shot of pain throughout her body. Vanessa let out a yell of pain. Fingers fumbling, she dug through her bag and retrieved a pair of scissors. She attempted to cut the string, but the amulet sent another pang of energy that shocked her whole body. Vanessa muffled her scream. She tried tugging at the string, but every tug sent the same shocking pain. After five tugs, she dropped the amulet beneath her shirt. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears as she drew in deep breaths.

Vanessa swallowed. She unlocked the door of the bathroom stall and walked towards the sink. She opened the water tap and splashed her face with cold water, closed the tap, and wiped her face with some tissue. Vanessa walked out of the toilet, slightly dazed. There was the sound of a microphone being tapped, which made Vanessa and the other flustered students look up towards the multiple speakers in the hallways and classrooms.

"Students, teachers, there is nothing to worry about," the principle announced. "We just had a small power failure. It has been looked at, and there is nothing wrong with it. However, we did lose a great amount of energy and that some lights might not be working, but that's alright. We'll have it fixed by tomorrow."

Natasha ran up to Vanessa, who was still standing in a daze. "Vanessa! Vanessa, hun, are you alright!?" When Vanessa turned around, Natasha gave a surprised look. "What the hell just happened to you? It looks like you've just seen a ghost! C'mon, let's go to the English classroom to get you seated. Here, drink some water!" She pulled out Vanessa's water bottle from a pouch on her bag and handed it to her.

"Thank you," Vanessa gasped quietly. She gulped down the water and sighed. Tripping over her own feet, Vanessa and Natasha arrived at the classroom. Natasha helped Vanessa over to a seat and sat beside Vanessa.

"So tell me," Natasha asked. "What the hell just happened?"

Vanessa stared blankly at her desk. There was a long pause.

"I honestly have no idea," she replied.


	3. Show, don't Tell

Vanessa shut her eyes and rubbed her pounding head. She drummed her fingers on the wooden desk. Wincing in pain, she scrawled down notes, strained to listen to the muted words the English teacher Mr. Cain said. Vanessa bit her lip and looked around her classroom. She rolled her head and looked up at the round clock. Vanessa sighed in relief. The last class of the day would be over soon. Eager to leave, Vanessa packed up her stationeries and books and shoved them into her bag. The only thing that was on her mind was the nagging pain in her temples and leaving the classroom to end the day. She swallowed and blinked a few times as small beads of cold sweat trickled down her neck. Vanessa eyed the second hand on the clock ticking by. What was a second felt like an hour.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon..." Vanessa muttered impatiently.

The school bell rang loudly. Vanessa shot off her seat, grabbed her bag, and paced out of the classroom. Chattering students flowed into the hallway, filling the air with noise. She held her head low, slipping inconspicuously pass idling students with her throbbing head.

"Hey, Vanessa, what's the rush?" Natasha called out, stopping Vanessa in her tracks.

She looked up. "Oh, I'm just going to the bus. I'm... Not feeling too well."

Concern crossed Natasha's face. "You sure you don't wanna go to the nurse or something first? You've been like this all day-"

"No, I'm good," Vanessa replied too quickly as she shook her head and smiled.

Natasha arched her eyebrows. "If you say so... Well, get well soon anyway!" she called out as Vanessa scurried away.

Vanessa grasped the glowing amulet that buzzed in her hand. Vanessa turned her head around, scanning the crowd of students for the copper-brown haired girl. Assuming that she'll be at the bus by now, since the lower grades have been dismissed before her, Vanessa headed straight for her bus. After the incident of the amulet burning and electrocuting her, as well as shutting down the whole electrical circuit of the school, the effect left her head pounding, her skin extremely sensitive, and both mentally and physically drained.

Vanessa sucked in breaths of cold air. Her heart hammered against her chest as she walked across the snowy ground and stepped into the school bus. She stopped beside her usual seat, looked down, and found the copper-brown haired girl slouching on the seat, sleeping.

Vanessa drew in a deep breath and narrowed her brows. Her upper lip twitched.

Vanessa dropped her bulky schoolbag on the seat next to her. Casey jumped and yelped in return.

Casey groaned and pushed herself up the chair. Vanessa stomped to the seat near the window and promptly sat down. She stared daggers at the girl's brown eyes, watching her squeeze her eyes shut and sigh. Casey bent her neck left and right and reached her hands out, stretching her neck along with her arms. Finally, she looked up at Vanessa who towered over her.

"Oh," She said, smiling. "'Ello again."

"What is this!?" Vanessa snarled, lifting the amulet in front of Casey's eyes. "What the hell did you give me!? At first it starts electrocuting me, leaving me extremely tired and weak and unfocused, shuts down the school's circuits, and then it starts to glow!"

Casey blinked. "Oh, you actually wore it? Huh, I wasn't expecting you to find it until you reached home or something. That's really funny. I guess they-"

"What. Is. THIS!?" Vanessa snapped, shoving the amulet into Casey's face as far as the unbreakable string could let her.

Casey raised her hands and inched backwards. "Alright, alright! Sheesh! Don't need to be so harsh!"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't be harsh right now," Vanessa hissed. "The thing hurt me badly, and I couldn't take the damn thing off no matter what I do, and it just hurts me even more whenever I try to! Plus, I'm awfully tired right now because of this!!!"

Some of the students in the bus leaned out of their seat and stared at the commotion. Casey failed to suppress her laughter and burst out chuckling. Vanessa turned around and glared at the other students. They immediately went back to minding their own business. Vanessa suddenly grabbed Casey by the shoulder and pulled Casey to her, forcing Casey to look her in the eye.

"Casey, I am in no mood for this. Why. Can't. I. Take. It. Off!?" Vanessa yelled.

Casey pushed Vanessa's hand away. "Calm down! Jeez mate, ya don't need to be so pissy about this!"

Vanessa glared at Casey and she quickly shut her mouth.

"So?" Vanessa questioned.

"Well, that's simple..." Casey held her breath and hesitated. "But promise me that you wouldn't punch me in the face or anything, because you really seem like the type to do that-"

"So?" Vanessa lowered her pitch.

Casey opened her mouth, paused, and sighed. She looked at Vanessa's stern face doubtfully.

"Weeelllll..." Casey drawled.

"Youcanttakeitoff."

Vanessa looked at her, confused.

"What?"

"Youcanttakeitoff!"

"Speak slower!"

Casey widened her eyes and raised the middle of her eyebrow, slightly afraid.

"You can't take it off."

"What!? Why!?" Vanessa yelled.

"You just can't!" Casey shrugged and pursed her lips. "If I were to explain it, you wouldn't understand it at all, and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't believe me as well."

Vanessa scowled. "Then why did it give me that electric shock?"

"That's... Also hard to explain," Casey looked down sideways, avoiding Vanessa eyes.

The bus' door close and started to leave. Vanessa sighed and leaned back into her seat as Casey sat back up straight, inching away from Vanessa.

"Then show me," Vanessa crossed her arms. 

 

"Wot?" Casey turned her head, scrunching her brows.

"Show me," Vanessa repeated.

"What do you mean 'show you'? Show you what?" Casey asked.

"You said it's hard to explain, so show me," Vanessa said. "Show, don't tell."

Casey sighed. She stopped and thought for a moment. "Alright, look, it's not that simple, and it might take a lot to process it."

"Fine by me," Vanessa shrugged. "Just show me."

Casey turned her head and looked at the back of the bus, then back at Vanessa again.

"Here?"

"Yup."

"As in, here?"

"Yup."

"Like, right now? Right at this exact moment and time?"

"Yes."

"Er... Are you sure?"

"Show me."

"I... I..." Casey stammered. "Look, I can't."

Vanessa narrowed her eyes. "And why is that? You have the exact same amulet around your neck. It's just glowing a different colour."

"Uhh....." Casey drawled. The bus started slowed to stop at its first stop.

"Look, you know what? I'll just show you... Tomorrow!" Casey piped. "Uh, yeah, tomorrow! That's right. Tomorrow! You know, today has been a really tiring and confusing day for you, hasn't it? You've gotten this weird amulet from someone you've just met today, and it started hurting you and you can't take it off. So why not just take a break today, let off some steam by, I dunno, punching trees? Is that what you do?" Casey made a sheepish smile and opened her hands.

Vanessa gave a look of disbelief and confusion as the bus stopped.

"Well, just, y'know, chillax today... Take a nice warm shower in this bloody cold weather, wind down, and do... Stuff..." Casey jumped up as the door swung open.

"Where are you going?" Vanessa asked.

"See you tomorrow!" Casey waved her hand quickly.

"Wait - but - this isn't even your stop!!" Vanessa shouted.

"Byyye!" Casey called out before running out the door.

Vanessa frowned in disbelief. Great. The girl that gave her the amulet refused to tell her about it, and she has no idea whether the amulet would start hurting her again, or what it might do later. She lifted her hands and dropped them, frustrated. Perfect.

She looked out the window as the bus drove away. She spotted Casey walking away from the other student that got off the bus as well. Once that student turned around a corner and was out of view, Casey looked left and right, scanning the empty neighbourhood.

Right before Casey was completely out of view, Vanessa rubbed her eyes and looked back out of the window.

She was gone.

\---

The snow crunched beneath Vanessa's snow boots as she walked past a row of high, wooden and wire fences that separated her from the forest. Casey was right, she needed to unwind and clear her mind to help her think straight and try to get rid of the headache. Whenever she needed some time alone, Vanessa would always visit the nature reserve her mother worked at. Ever since her family moved from the neighbourhood that was near the bus stop to a quiet private housing complex the workers of the reserve could live in, Vanessa's mother often brought her along to satisfy her curiosity about the nature of animals. Vanessa often brought a book, a notepad and pen, and a pair of binoculars - simply because she thought it was cool - and would draw and take notes about the forest animals. It wasn't until her thirteenth birthday two years ago when she given an extra key to the staff-only gate that was near the complex.

Vanessa dug her gloved hand into her pocket and pulled out a silver key. There was a small bark behind her. A small, furry object rubbed against her legs. Vanessa looked down, spotting her small, black and silver schnauzer Storm looking up at her. Vanessa smiled. 

"You're not scared, are you?" Vanessa chuckled as she tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear. Storm gave another small bark in return. 

"Alright, I know you want to follow me, but you'll have to be really quiet if you want to. You won't want to trigger any of the other wild animals here," Vanessa whispered as she picked Storm up and cradled him in her arms. Pushing away Storm's fuzzy muzzle from licking her face, Vanessa pushed the key in and unlocked the fence door. It made a creak as she slowly swung it open and locked it behind her. 

The tall, dark, pine trees loomed over Vanessa as she stepped onto the dirt path. Storm twitched his nose and wriggled free from Vanessa's arm, jumping and flipping out of her arm and stumbled onto the path. He yelped and squirmed, trying to get from his side onto all four paws, revealing a bald patch on the underside of his neck. Vanessa shook her head and snorted as she wiped the dark grey, curly strands of dog fur off her white, long sleeve. 

"C'mon Storm," Vanessa chirped as she patted her leg, signaling Storm to stop fooling around and follow her. 

Breaking out into a fast-paced walk, Vanessa inhaled the icy-cold air and made her way down the snowy and rocky slope of the hill. Getting off the dirt path, she got low and skidded down a steep slope, ignoring the twigs and small plants that scratched her. Once reaching the rocky bottom of the slope, she stood up and brushed her dirt-covered pants. Storm looked down at the slope and whinned. He panted, turning back and looking back at Vanessa.

"You can stay there first if you like," Vanessa said. 

Storm whined louder. Looking back at the safe, dirt path, he slowly laid down and crawled over to the slope. Shifting his body weight, he skittered down the slope as Vanessa caught him and carried him. After a few steps pass bushes and rocks, another dirt path appeared. Looking at the wooden fences that made a barrier between the path and steep, rocky falls, Vanessa set the agitated schnauzer down. The two started to make their way through the trail, climbing on a few large overhanging rocks and past some fallen trees. The air of stillness was filled with the occasional chirping of chickadees and sparrows, and the clinking sound made by Storm's dog tag and his steady, soft panting. 

Vanessa enjoyed silent walks alone. It's not that she disliked the presence of others - although she does at times, but she liked the idea of being solitary. The idea of recharging yourself alone; just you and your beloved dog, walking alone in the forest with trees and rocks covering you so that you can never be seen or found. The idea of having silence wrapped around you, clearing your head as you take deep breaths of crisp, forest air. 

The idea of being alone with your thoughts flowing freely and wildly like the mountain birds flying from tree to tree. 

Vanessa climbed a couple of rocks lying against a slope and arrived at a huge, flat rock that hung over the snowy and rocky planes, looking over a view filled with wildlife and snowy mountains filling the sky. There were a few benches, chairs, and a long, wooden table fastened to the rock. This was a 'picnic stop' for visitors in the nature reserve, but people rarely went here to stop by the breathtaking view due to the tough terrain. It was easier to access from the staff centre, which was why this was sometimes used for meetings. 

Vanessa sat down on a chair that faced the scenery and sighed contentedly. Her headache faded away and her amulet grew warm, radiating an aura of peace and comfort around her. She embraced the still silence of her surrounding and closer her eyes and drew in a deep breath.

 

"Hey," called a voice. 

Vanessa jumped and whipped her head. Storm barked. 

"Uh, hi..?" She raised her eyebrows, surprise. Her classmate Jack was standing behind her. "What are you... Doing here? No one but the staff and a few people know about this place." 

Storm sniffed Jack's blue jeans curiously and flattened his ears, looking up at him. 

"Oh, I've been here before actually," Jack replied quickly, shrugging his shoulder and rubbing his blue jacket's sleeve "Once or twice, in fact." 

Vanessa raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "Then how come I don't see you?" 

"Well, you're not here all the time, are you?" He responded. 

"Aren't you supposed to be at the hospital or something?" Vanessa asked. "I've heard about your... Er, chronic illness. Oh, sorry for not replying to your email, by the way. I rarely check it-" 

"What's that?" Jack interrupted, pointing to Vanessa's chest. 

"What's.. What?" Vanessa patted her chest and felt the amulet's warmth. 

"Whatever's glowing under your shirt," Jack walked towards Vanessa hastily. 

"Oh, it's this weird necklace thing some girl on the bus gave me," Vanessa explained, standing from the chair as she kept a distance from her friend.

 

"Who gave you that?" Jack fired, eyes fixed on the amulet. 

"Well it's..." Vanessa hesitated. Something in her head nagged her. "Why do you even want to know? You're not supposed to be here. Are you alright? You're acting strange." 

"What's her name?" Jack questioned again. Vanessa twitched. There was an unusual aura around him. Storm raised his hackles and started to bark loudly, standing in front of Vanessa defensively. 

"Jack, go home. You're sick!" Vanessa snapped. Storm's volume raised and his steady barking grew cacophonous. 

"Tell. Me." Jack growled. His hunched and his wild eyes stared into Vanessa's. 

"Last warning Jack, back off!" Vanessa warned, backing up the path that led to the staff room. 

"Or what?" He glared at Vanessa. "The staff centre is blocked off. You're all alone here. No one will know what has happened." 

Jack's eyes narrowed. "No one will ever know what will happened." 

Jack pulled his fist back. Storm's steady barking grew into a loud snap and he pounced, biting into Jack's forearm. He yelled. Jack grabbed Storm by the scruff of his neck, trying to pull him off, but the feisty dog stubbornly remained. Vanessa stepped forward and raised her arm, preparing to strike her crazed friend with her elbow. 

The most amazing and horrifying thing happened at once. 

Jack sharply thrusted his wrist into the air and sent snow leaping from the ground towards Vanessa, knocking her down. She shouted out in pain as she rolled over the small and sharp rocks. From the corner of her eye, Storm yelped, released his bite and scrambled towards his master. Jack bared his teeth and tensed his bleeding arm and inhaled deeply, baring his teeth like a wild dog. 

Jack splayed his hands. He thrusted it towards Storm. A stream of snow launched Storm away. 

"STORM!" Vanessa cried. 

Storm smashed head-first into a rock. His limp body fell to the edge of the rock. 

The snow was stained red. 

Vanessa clenched her fist. She hissed as she stood up, and a look of hatred crossed her face. 

"You crazy, sick bastard!" She yelled, eyes filled with devastation and rage. "What is wrong with you!?" 

Jack said nothing. He raised his hand and pushed the air. Snow spiralled towards Vanessa. She ducked and dodged the snow. Her eyes darted from the psychopath to the limp body of Storm that was slowly slipping down the edge of the rock. Narrowing his brows, Jack splayed his hands. Vanessa jumped and dodged again. She drew back a fist and struck Jack across the face. He stumbled over and roared. He snapped his fingers and flicked his hand. Snow struck Vanessa in the head, knocking her over. Vanessa grunted. She rubbed her head and stayed down as Jack stomped towards her. He bent over. Vanessa stared into his soulless eyes for a split second-

kill murder slaughter massacre

-and punched him in the nose. Jack hollered as he stumbled backwards, using his good hand to press his blood nose. Vanessa rolled on her back and kicked him in the chest. Jack fell and scrambled to get up. Vanessa rose before he did and stood over him. She raised her knee, but a thought struck her head. Vanessa looked down at her friend and hesitated. Jack was still her friend, and she wouldn't injure him that badly-

Jack shoved Vanessa. She yelled and lost her balance. Her back hit the ground with a thud. Vanessa bit her lip, curled up her fists, and struggled to get up. When she looked up, Jack kicked her in the gut. Vanessa sharply exhaled and her eyes widened. Jack's upper lip raised, making a malicious smile, and kicked her again. She curled into a ball and bit her tongue in pain. Jack's shadow cloaked over her. No, she couldn't - she wouldn't give up. She had to at least get up and do something to protect her and help Storm- 

A blur whizzed by. Snow sprayed everywhere. Jack's head jerked forward before collapsing to the ground. 

Vanessa's jaw dropped. The shock of whatever just happened overpowered the racking pain in her stomach. 

The blur returned in a flash and stopped. There stood a girl, cradling Storm in her arms. She offered a hand to Vanessa, who took it. 

"Uh... Casey!?" Vanessa breathed heavily. "What..? How..?" 

The freckled, Australian girl sighed. "Well, I just saved you and your dog from a crazy, possessed inhuman by using my crazy, weird inhuman powers. Oh, and I showed you! I gave you what you wanted! A thank you would suffice." 

"Thanks..." Vanessa muttered. "But what... Just... happened!?-" 

"Nope, not now, no chit-chatting now." Casey bickered. "It's a long story, and I mean a super duper extremely long story that I probably shouldn't tell you know even though you should really know it because of that crazy guy who attacked you and you thinking that you're crazy 'cause you've seen something crazy even though you also have these crazy powers later on and we should get these two guys help and I think I really should stop talking now..." 

Casey trailed off and looked down at the unconscious body. She gave it a little kick. There was no response. 

She shrugged. "Eh, it'll only last a few minutes. It'll be enough time for us to go to help-" Vanessa opened her mouth. "-ey ey EY, no talking, remember? Talk later, help now." 

"Then let's go!" Vanessa grimaced, bending over from the pain in her stomach. "You're the one who keeps talking." 

"Heh, right," Casey smiled. "Now, prepare yourself for more crazy stuff 'cause from this point onwards, things are gonna get pre-tty crazy."

Casey carefully handed Storm's limp body to Vanessa, who cradled him and applied pressure on the wound. After wiping her hands on her trousers, Casey gripped her amulet. "Alright, now I need some sort of flat, solid surface..." She looked around, stopped, and paced towards the table. "Eh, I guess this would do!"

Casey jumped onto the bench. Looking down at the table, she pointed the end of her amulet at its surface. Her amulet started glowing orange and vibrated, giving out a light hum. Casey's eyes focused on the table. A thin stream of bright orange energy blasted out from the end of the amulet. It zapped the table. An oval hole grew and expanded to the size of a door, bordered with an orange glow with small sparks flying off its edge.

Casey dropped the amulet and pulled her arms back, stretching her shoulders. Vanessa warily limped towards the glowing hole in the table. Clutching Storm tightly, she looked down into the hole.

A place she has never seen before met her eyes.

"Well, what are you waitin' for?" Casey stood on the table, beckoning her head towards the hole. "You gonna go in to save yer dog or what?"

"What is that!?" Vanessa questioned. "Is that.. A... Portal?"

Casey snorted. "What else could it be? C'mon!" Casey jumped down to the ground. She placed her hand gently on Storm's furry back, making Vanessa feel Storm growing warmer and sending small pricks of energy on her. "Storm'll need this so that he's able to go through the portal. I'll explain it to you later, I promise-wait, I think the others should explain it. I suck at explaining stuff." Casey chuckled and pushed Vanessa towards the table. "Come on now. Just step into the portal! It won't hurt-er, no, it'll hurt just a little. Don't worry though, you'll adjust to using the portal over time." She groaned. "Ugghh, it's so hard to explain all this! If I did, this whole thing probably won't be too confusing-"

Vanessa coughed. "Shall we?"

"Huh? Oh. Right. Heh," Casey sheepishly smiled. "Sorry 'bout that blabbering. Let's go!"

Vanessa looked down into the portal. "But where does this lead to?"

"Oh, you'll see," Casey smiled. "Show, don't tell."

Vanessa snorted and smiled subtly. She drew in a deep breath, paused, and stepped into the hole.

An electric wave of shock and heat passed through her body. Vanessa yelled in surprise and squeezed her eyes shut as her body felt like it was electrocuted.

She felt a light pat on her shoulder. Vanessa slowly opened her eyes, breathing heavily. She gazed around at her surroundings, and turned around in time to see the portal close behind her.

"Welp, we're here," Casey awkwardly gestured to her surroundings. She lifted her hand away from Storm and gently patted him. "Come on now, let's get your dog some help."


	4. The Haven

"What...?" Vanessa breathed, blinking as foreign light entered her eyes. She bit her lip and dug her nails in her hand that rested on Storm's small body in attempt to dull the pain in her gut. Vanessa looked around and scanned the bookshelves that curved inwards, acting like a wall. She shuffled her feet on the wooden floor. She turned her head and looked back at the quickly closing portal behind her, which shrinked to nothing. Behind her was a tall stained glass window which stood deeper into the wall with a large, cushioned window seat resting below it.

"Oi! Mate! Sonnie, ya here?" Casey yelled.

"I'm right here, Scout!" an accented voice replied in a hushed tone. "There's no need to yell!"

A 17 year old redheaded girl with pigtails popped her head from the other side of the bookshelf and looked into the enclosed area. "You're back already?"

"Uh, yeah. Duh," Casey smirked.

"Huh, I thought you'd take longer to be honest," the redhead replied. She flashed a smile at Casey's straight face. "No offense. Anyway, is this the Fifth?" She turned to face Vanessa and smiled as she stretched out her hand. " _Guten tag,_  my name is Sonata Heilburg!"

"Hi," Vanessa muttered. "I'm Vanessa Timberwood. Sorry, I can't really shake your hand since I'm, well..."

Sonata raised her eyebrows and nodded, looking down at Storm. "Ah,  _ja,_  I've noticed! Follow me, I'll bring you to the medical bay - wait, that won't do. It's too far from the library. Wait, I think he's here nearby. I saw him just now..."

"I'll get him," Casey piped up before speeding off in a flash. Sonata helped Vanessa to the wide, dark brown window seat. She grabbed a pillow from the side of the window seat which sat against the wall and offered it to Vanessa. Vanessa silently declined.

"She'll be back any second now," Sonata edged from her seat, looking out at the opening of the enclosed area of books.

A moment passed. Vanessa tightened her mouth and stroked Storm's fur. She scrunched her eyebrows in worry as she compressed the red wound on the side of Storm's head.

"So," Sonata prompted, breaking the silence. "Where are you from?"

"Alberta, Canada," Vanessa replied.

"Canada?" Sonata looked at Vanessa with a grin. "Wow, it must be really cold there! It's also cold in Munich, Germany, where I'm from, but Canada seems to be the one that's famously known for being cold." Sonata laughed, distracting Vanessa from Storm. "No wonder Casey needed to borrow my jacket! She's from Australia, and Canada is the last place an Aussie wants to be!"

Vanessa snorted and smiled for a while. "Oh, by the way, what did you call her?" she asked Sonata. "Was it Scout or something like that?"

"Oh yeah, me and a few other friends call her Scout," Sonata replied quickly. "It's because of her gift that lets her move really fast. And since she's super energetic and sporty and can never sit still-" Sonata lowered her tone. "-Or keep her mouth shut..."

Vanessa grinned. "I see."

Sonata smiled back. "She often goes ahead of us and 'scouts the area'. So we call her Scout. It's also a nickname her dad gave her, and the people back at her home often call her Scout, so we might as well call her that."

Vanessa nodded. She looked up at the sound of a distant yell in the silent library. Casey reappeared in a flash; this time while holding another person by the neck and waist.

"Found 'im!" Casey exclaimed.

"Can you  _not!?_ " an 18 year old Asian scowled, rubbing his neck and the hood of his dark red-velvet jacket. "I told you to not do that! You know that you could've snapped my neck, which I'm pretty sure you could've done!"

"But you're too slow!" Casey whined.

"You know you could just tell me to hurry up or at least bring my books as well," he murmured. He looked at Sonata, then at Vanessa, then at the small dog on her lap.

The Asian made a quick smile. "Oh, hello new random person."

He promptly walked towards the dog on Vanessa's lap and kneeled down. Without making any eye contact, he gently lifted Storm off Vanessa's lap and placed him on the window seat. He lifted Storm's head with his fingers and checked his neck and spine, then placed his hands on Storm's bloody head.

Vanessa stared down at the stranger. "Hey, excuse me-"

"Don't mind him," Sonata whispered. "He's kinda like that. He's pretty fun to be with when you get to know him."

"He sucks at being around people," Casey cut in loudly with a laugh. Sonata glared at Casey with a look of disbelief.

"I am completely aware of that," the man mumbled. His eyes were fixated on Storm's injured head and his hands were flexed over the injury.

"Maybe for a change you could stop greeting random people and actually introduce yourself," Sonata suggested with a smile.

The man stopped in his tracks. "Oh." He blinked a couple of times and tightened his lips. "Right. And why should I..? She's only here because of the dog right-"

"She's the Destined Fifth dummy," Casey plopped down beside the man and peered at Storm.

"Oh," the man pursed his lips. He paused for a while before looked up at Vanessa's dubious face. "Hello there. I am Liào Qín Lóng, but please call me Quinn because everyone here does not know how to say my Chinese name properly."

"Hi..." Vanessa mumbled as Quinn quickly looked back down at Storm. Vanessa looked at Sonata, who widened her eyes and slowly nodded her head.

"Yep," she mouthed.

"Casey, can you please get a wet cloth to clean the wound?" Quinn asked without looking up.

"Sure," Casey replied before dashing off. A second later, she returned with a wet cloth in hand.

Vanessaa rubbed her stomach and watched Quinn gently wipe the bleeding wound, then placing it down once the wound was clean. His face was straight and his brows scrunched up in concentration. His hands started to tremble. Vanessa watched in amazement as the wound on Storm's head slowly began to heal itself. New flesh grew in place of the damaged ones, completely concealing the gash. Storm's fur slowly began to grow back and after a few seconds, the wound completely healed. Quinn rubbed his hand on Storm's head and ran it down his back.

"Your dog should be alright," Quinn noted, finally looking up at Vanessa. "It wasn't anything too bad and didn't damage his skull or spine. The only thing you need to worry about is him getting an infection, which shouldn't be a problem since I've cleaned the wound beforehand and already killed off any harmful bacteria on and in the wound. He should come round in a few minutes."

Vanessa stayed silent and nodded. A moment passed.

"Alright, can someone please tell me what the hell is going on!?" Vanessa exclaimed. "I would really like an explanation for this glowing amulet, inhuman powers, and why my best friend tried to kill me!"

"I could explain the first two, but I'm questioning myself about the last statement," Quinn responded. "Does that has something to do with the dog?"

"Oh yeah," Casey mentioned. "Her friend Jack attacked her just now."

Quinn whipped his head. "Jack?"

"Yeah, Jack," Casey blinked. "Y'know, dude with the blue fluffy jacket who can control-"

"I know who Jack is Casey," Quinn rolled his eyes.

"Yeah so anyway, he was attacking Vanessa and Storm just now but then I sorta knocked him out so-"

"Wait," Quinn paused. "You knocked Jack out?"

"Uh," Casey replied. "Yeah."

"In wherever you were before?"

"Yeah."

"And... Where is he now?" Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, he's still on the other side of the..." Casey trailed off with wide eyes.

"Crap, I left him in Canada!" Casey gasped.

"Casey you idiot," Quinn slapped his palm on his face.

"I'll go get 'im!" Casey yelled.

"If he's still unconscious for you to get him, that is," Quinn sighed. "Besides, do you know how to carry a guy two years your senior who is completely limp, meaning you'll have to carry his entire body weight through the portal?"

"Uh," Casey froze. "No."

Quinn sighed loudly and buried his head in his hands.

"Sonata, can you help explain to Vanessa while me and Casey go get Jack?" Quinn asked flatly as Casey opened up a portal on the floor.

"Sure," Sonata nodded. Casey and Quinn stepped into the portal. The orange portal immediately closed behind them once they stepped through.

"Well yikes, I'm not the best at explaining this," Sonata confessed. "So sorry if you don't understand anything."

Sonata took a deep breath. "So, about the amulet. When you first wore the amulet, you felt as if you were being electrocuted, or being burned alive, or something like that, right?"

"Yes," Vanessa nodded.

"Well, getting the amulet from someone means you're destined to do something," Sonata explained. Vanessa opened her mouth and Sonata raised her hand to silence her. "Yes, it seems very confusing right now, but bear with me. Like I said, it's hard to explain. Anyway, some sort of force or spirit or something like from this dimension, which is called the Haven, chooses people from the world we're from do perform certain tasks that will benefit either dimension. We call these 'destinies'."   
  
"Wait, sorry," Vanessa interrupted. "But is anyone from this dimension, or is-"

"No one's from this dimension," Sonata cut Vanessa off. "The only way to come here is through the portal which the amulet makes. Anyway, what was I saying..?" Sonata paused in thought. "Ah, right, the amulet. Only the chosen person can wear the amulet, since the thing that made the amulet 'chose' its owner. If someone else wears it before the owner does, they'll get zapped in a similar way you did." Sonata breathed in. "Once the owner wears the amulet, they wouldn't be able to take it off, or they'll get zapped. You couldn't also try to use gravity to drop the amulet, as it'll sort of just somehow prevent itself from slipping off like hovering in the air or something. Oh, and no one else can touch your amulet, or they'll get zapped too."

"It's more like getting zapped due to static electricity," Quinn brisk-walked into the enclosed area with Casey trotting behind him.

"Wait, what?" Vanessa looked at the ground where the portal once was, and looked back at Quinn. "Where did you come from?"   
  
"We just opened the portal at the medical bay so we won't have to walk there from here," Casey shrugged. "It's faster that way. Plus, this place is pretty big too."

"So the amulet can open up portals anywhere?" Vanessa asked.   
  
"Yes and no," Casey jumped into the empty seat beside Vanessa. "If you're in the Haven, you can open a portal to the normal dimension, but not the Haven dimension, and vice versa."

"How come?" Vanessa questioned.

Casey shrugged again. "Don't ask me, I'm not the one who made the amulets!"

"The amulet's use is to only store energy for later and to transport its owner here and back," Quinn said. "The energy inside is 'programmed' to do that. No one really knows by who. When you wore the amulet, it immediately absorbed as much energy as it possibly could without sublimating. That includes taking energy from yourself, which explains the pain and the tiredness afterwards. The amulet is made of this 'element' that's only found in this dimension. It's called 'auranium', which could store large amounts of energy, absorb any type of energy like light or heat or kinetic energy. It sublimates once it has too much energy and the energy trapped inside would be released as light; unless the owner of the amulet immediately controls the energy released."

"What do you mean by 'programmed'?" Vanessa scrunched her eyebrows.

Quinn waved his hand in dismissal. "It's complicated to explain, but long story short: it's when you make the energy in something do something, sort of like programing a computer."

"And now onto the inhuman powers," Sonata voiced out. "When you wear the amulet, it grants you a certain type of power we call a 'gift'. The owner of the amulet would be called a 'gifted one'."

"So when you wear the amulet, you get the power," Vanessa said.

"Well, not exactly," Quinn scratched his head. "There's this theory that everyone has these powers. It's just that we've ignored it or didn't use it for so long no one can really do them. The amulet just 'unlocks' a certain power that allows us to learn and use the power easily and quicker than others-"

"It's not a theory," Casey blurted out.

"Well, it is for me until science proves me otherwise," Quinn retorted.

"Oh, here we go again..." Sonata rolled her eyes.

"Everything here defies the laws of science, and I still can't think of some sort of scientific explanation of all this," Quinn added.

"Well, maybe some things are just not meant to make sense," Sonata suggested.   
  
Quinn's face lightened.

"Haha,  _no._ "

His face straightened again.

"For the gifts, I'm inferring that it has something to do with controlling electrons or elementary particles of some sort-"

"Quinn, nooooooooo....." Casey rolled back her head and groaned loudly.

Sonata cringed. "Maybe you should discuss your theories with Jonathan instead-"

"But science is  _everything!_ " Quinn flailed his hands.

"Not now, this time we have to treat our guest," Sonata quickly turned to Vanessa and smiled. "So, do you have any other questions?"

"Er, yes," Vanessa said. "This all is still very hard to take in and I'm still doubting all this because none of this makes sense-"

"See, if it defies science, it doesn't make sense!" Quinn stretched his arm towards Vanessa and widened his eyes.

"I dunno man, it seems pretty damn convincing if it's shown right in front of my eyes," Casey shrugged.

"Oh it'll all fall together, I promise," Sonata said too quickly before letting out a nervous chuckle. She leaned towards Vanessa and lowered her voice. "I know it's all very confusing right now, but trust me. I'll answer your questions later, but for now, please don't ask about this topic. I'm begging you.  _Please._ "

Vanessa looked at Sonata's desperate eyes and shut her mouth.

"What about Jack?" Vanessa asked, switching the topic. Sonata and Casey relaxed and let out a small sigh of relief.

"Oh right, he's in the medical bay, right?" Casey suddenly jumped up from her seat. "C'mon, let's go there and see what's up with him. Might as well walk and talk!" She pulled Sonata off her seat and beckoned Vanessa to follow them. Vanessa slowly picked Storm up, who slightly stirred, and followed the others out.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Sonata asked Vanessa as the small group made their way past towering bookshelves.

Vanessa tilted her head and raised an eyebrow in reply.

Sonata awkwardly chuckled. "Right, that was sort of a silly question to ask. To add to what we told you about gifts; everyone only gets one gift, but they're free to take classes here to learn other skills. However, with very few of us, we have three gifts each instead of the usual single gift."

"It's not 'very few of us,' it's just the six of us!" Casey smirked with a huge grin on her freckled face. "Aka we're the most awesome ones!"

"Six..?" Vanessa started.

"Remember when I called you the Fifth?" Sonata said. "There are six of us that has three gifts for some sort of huge destiny we were given. Something like that. We're called the Destined Six. Quinn is the First, Casey is the Second, Jonathan - you haven't met him - is the Third, I'm the Fourth, and you're the fifth."

"No one knows who the Sixth is!" Casey chimed in.

Sonata nodded. "Anyway, Quinn's gifts are telekinesis, telepathy, and healing-"

"It's not just 'healing', it's the manipulation of biological components or cells," Quinn corrected.

"Or Vitakinesis-" Casey added.

"Don't use that term, it sounds dumb," Quinn muttered, shaking his head. "It's just like they add some greek word as a prefix and added 'kinesis' at the end."

"I have chronokinesis and photokinesis," Casey told Vanessa. "I could slow down time to go fast, plus control and create light!" Casey cupped her right hand and a small ball of light glowed. She lifted it to Vanessa for her to see, who raised her eyebrows, impressed. She closed her hand back into a fist and the light vanished. "I don't know what my third gift is though, but I'm sure it'll come out soon enough!"

"For me, I can create and manipulate sound waves, which is useful if  _someone_  is talking to loud..." Sonata coughed and conspicuously beckoned her head towards Casey. Casey gave Sonata an unimpressed face and Quinn and Vanessa snorted. "And also do this thing called 'technokinesis' where I can control gadgets and machines with my mind or something like that. It's... Kinda weird and not something I use a lot, really. It's a sub-skill of electrokinesis or the ability to manipulate electricity, if I'm not mistaken."

"I'd kill for that gift though," Quinn muttered.

"Knowing Quinn, that might be literal, so watch it," Casey whispered to Vanessa. "Sonata also doesn't know her third gift too. Nor does Jonathan."

"Don't worry about not knowing your gift yet, it'll come around," Sonata reassured.

"It usually shows up during a moment of strong emotion," Quinn added. "You wouldn't be able to control it immediately though, so if you get your gift just come to the Haven and don't do anything stupid."

"Like Casey?" Sonata smiled.

"Like Casey." Quinn's face didn't twitch.

"Oh  _c'mon!_ " Casey groaned loudly as she opened her arms in frustration.

Quinn led the small group through a series of hallways warmly lit by the yellow lights overhead. Vanessa stared up at the tall, marble walls as they walked across the concrete floor. Her eyes landed on the large, glass panes which revealed a starry night sky. Various people of different ages and races walked pass them talking to each other, filling the air with a quiet buzz of voices. Some of them greeted Vanessa with a smile, which she returned with a nod. Quinn walked on and turned, leading the group across a small grassy yard in the middle of four tall, greek-styled buildings with pillars supporting the second storey of the building. Vanessa looked around the yard in amazement, watching a teenage girl move clouds across the dark sky. Vanessa turned her head quickly to the sound of the ground crumbling. She looked down at a ginger-haired man sitting on the grass, focusing his hands on an unnaturally fast-growing shrub.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Casey pointed her thumb at the now fully grown shrub. "Well, not as cool as my gifts, but still pretty cool right?"

Quinn turned around. "Oh my God Casey, can you get any more narcissistic?"

"Uh, probably!" A new voice yelled in reply. They turned their heads to see a blonde, curly-haired person jog towards them.

"Hey Jonathan!" Sonata waved her hand.

Jonathan looked at Sonata and smiled. "Hey Sonnie!"

Jonathan smoothed his brown jacket as he strode towards Quinn. "Jack's not responding at all, Quinn. And his nose is pretty bloody"

Quinn looked down at Jonathan. "That's probably because he's still unconscious. As for the nose..."

Quinn looked at Vanessa. She shrugged. "He  _was_ attacking me, you know."

"Ugh, yes, I know he's still unconscious - well,  _obviously,_  but that's the problem. He's been out for about... Eight or nine minutes now?" Jonathan scrunched his eyebrows in concern "How hard did you hit him?"

"Pretty hard I guess," Quinn responded monotonously.

Jonathan stared at Quinn. " _That_  hard!?"

Quinn drew in a deep breath. "Well, at least now you could say he's really out of  _cold_."

Quinn started to chuckle, which grew into laugh with a large smile on his face. Everyone else stared at him with a blank face and blinked. Vanessa covered her face with her hand and shook her head.

Quinn's smile shrank back to a straight face. "What?"

Jonathan squeezed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Anyway, the doctor Wilmer Andersson called you and the rest..." His eyes floated towards Vanessa's unfamiliar face.

"Uh..?" Jonathan shrugged his shoulders and raised a finger in question.

"Oh, that's Vanessa," Sonata introduced. "She's new. The Fifth, in fact."

"Oh, hi," Jonathan gave a small smile and quickly looked away back at Quinn. "Let's go to the medical bay. He's waiting."

Jonathan quickly paced away and made a beeline for the medical bay with the rest following behind him. Jonathan swung a door open and held it for everyone else to enter. Vanessa looked at him, making him smile for one second and avert eyes the next.

"No need to be so shy Jonathan," Sonata nudged Jonathan as he closed the door.

"Yeah, I know, but..." Jonathan shrugged as he silently watched Vanessa's eyes sweep across the medical bay.

The medical bay looked more like a miniature hospital. The air was silent, only with the sound of footsteps echoing in the large area. There were doors with different labels on them, some empty and some filled with a doctor and one or two patients. The interior was more modern looking compared to the other sections of the buildings in terms of design, flooring, and walls. Yellow lights shone above them as Quinn led them up a flight of stairs and pass a pair of doors.

"Quinn!  _Hej!_  You're here!" A man in a tweed sweater with a white coat greeted.

"Hey Mr. Andersson," Quinn greeted back with a small smile.

"Hi!" Casey waved her hands wildly.

"Why hello there Scout!" Wilmer chuckled. He looked at Quinn. "How've you been? I would ask if you and the little rascal got into any trouble, but it looks like you did." Wilmer fixed his black-rimmed glasses' position and looked at Sonata and Jonathan. "Have you kiddos been keeping out of trouble?"

Sonata laughed and Jonathan smiled. Wilmer chuckled and turned his head to look at Vanessa. "So who's this new person and her adorable little dog?"

Wilmer reached his hand out and Vanessa shook it. "Vanessa Timberwood. The dog's name is Storm."

Storm looked up at Vanessa at the sound of his name, but made no attempt to squirm out of her arms.

"I'm Wilmer Andersson, one of the doctors and surgeons here. Don't bother calling me Doctor Andersson though," Wilmer introduced. "Where're you from?"

"Canada," Vanessa smiled at the man's warmth.

"Canada? Canada eh?" Wilmer joked. "I'm Swedish. The patient I have right now - who  _someone_ knocked out a bit too hard..."

Wilmer's made a face and eyed Quinn.

"That hard?" Quinn asked.

Wilmer nodded. His face stayed that way for a moment before switching back into a smile.

"...Also comes from Canada," Wilmer continued. "His name's Jack Richmond. He's probably one of the ones who come here a lot with bruises on knees and elbows or a sprain in the ankle..." He shook his head. "But this one's new."

"Actually, Jack's in Vanessa's school," Casey informed. "He's one of her friends, I think."

"Really?" Wilmer raised his eyebrows and looked back at Vanessa. "Oh! So you're  _that_ Vanessa!"

"I've always wondered how he always seemed to get instantly better after playing Hockey," Vanessa added.

"He never seems to get tired of hockey! It's like nothing could hold him back from playing!" Wilmer exclaimed. He chuckled again, but this time with a shrinking smile. He ruffled his grey hair. "Unfortunately, this time it really looks like he should take a rest. A long one.

"The concussion shouldn't be that bad," Quinn looked at Wilmer.

"True, but his lung cancer is developing," Wilmer cringed.

Everyone looked at Wilmer, then back at Quinn, then at Vanessa.

"He has cancer?" Casey quietly asked.

Both Vanessa and Wilmer nodded.

"Did you know?" A look of sympathy crossed Jonathan's face.

"Just today, actually," Vanessa replied. "Apparently he sent a message about it on Saturday, but I didn't read it yet and another friend Natasha told me about it today."

"I see," Wilmer nodded. "Follow me, Jack is right here."

Wilmer knocked on a wooden door not far from where he was standing. A sandy-blonde haired man opened the door and smiled.

"Hey guys," he greeted with a warm smile.

"Hi Mr. Jones," Jonathan greeted back.

"How's Jack, Eddie?" Wilmer asked the man who shrugged in reply.

"It's hard to say, really," Eddie said. "It'll be better to explain it to all of you guys at once so I won't have to repeat," He looked at Vanessa. He whistled at Storm. Storm perked his ears up and looked at Eddie, who smiled. "Vanessa Timberwood, right?"

"Yep," Vanessa nodded.

"You must've met a lot of new mates today," Eddie said. "Lot's of names to memorise as well. I'm Eddie Jones-"

"He's my dad!" Casey chirped.

"You can stop telling everyone that Scout," Wilmer smirked.

"Jack's still recovering and I think he's taking a quick shut eye, so it'll be best not to disturb him right now," Eddie stepped out of the recovery room and closed the wooden door behind him. "Alright, so this might be a little tricky to understand, but just... Try to, alright? I'll just tell what we know so far about the situation which we don't really fully understand yet."

He took a deep breath and looked at everyone. "Whatever happened with Jack wasn't the first time it happened to someone; specifically to a gifted one, or someone with the amulet. There seems to be something or someone that's taking control of others by transforming and draining their energy while somehow corrupting them. It appears that gifted ones are harder to take control of, probably because of their amulet which makes their aura-" Eddie looked at Vanessa. "Or a barrier of energy that sort of shields a person. The victims start to lose control of themselves and even lose the sense of morality, causing damage to others or other things. We do not know how they get controlled or corrupted or drained, nor what the cause is."

"But is Jack alright yet?" Vanessa asked slowly.

Eddie sighed and looked back at the room. "Well... No. Based on the other victims, they still seem crazy even after regaining consciousness. Some start acting really violently while others scream and shout and even cry. I'm trying to find out what's happening, I swear. It's just that..." He shook his head. "I honestly don't know what's happening. I've already asked Ms. Ira Sethi to check on Jack, since the other victims..." Eddie voice trailed off. "Ran away..."

"But there is a way, isn't there?" Casey furrowed her brows and looked up.

"It's you guys, actually," Wilmer looked at the group. "All of you. There is this prophecy of some sort that says there will be six powerful people with three gifts who will save us from this mayhem." He paused and stretched his arms towards them. "The Destined Six."

"But there are only five us," Jonathan pointed out.

"We know," Eddie sighed frustratedly, pulling his short, wavy hair back.

"Wait, so Jack came for Vanessa and attacked her," Quinn said while looking down at the floor. "So far, this is the only time that there was some possessed guy who attacked one of us five. Since the guy is controlled by another source, which is what Mr. Jones said, there's a possibility that it couldn't be Jack's own will to attack Vanessa. The possessor might be the one who wants to attack Vanessa. He probably would've tried taking control of her, except that he doesn't know who's the Fifth. However, Jack does, since he was originally supposed to deliver the amulet to Vanessa, except he never came here to get the amulet. So, he was probably attacked at one point and possessed because he was a gifted, which might possibly mean he might know who the Fifth is. Right now, the main goal of the possessor might be to hunt us down."

"That... Is actually possible," Eddie commented. "Ugh, I can't believe I've never thought of that!"

"Don't worry, you're busy enough and your brain has been occupied on lots of things at once," Wilmer patted Eddie on the back.

"But the problem is we don't know who the Sixth is, right?" Casey questioned.

"So then the possessor will try come for him-" Jonathan paused for a moment. "-Oh, actually, we do have a vague idea of the person's whereabouts..."

"At this point, 'vague' is too much of an understatement," Eddie groaned.

"How come?" Sonata cocked her head.

"Well, usually when it comes to finding gifted ones, the force that makes the amulets will somehow telepathically contact a person who happens to live around or has a relationship with the gifted one, telling who the person is, how they look like, where they live, and et cetera," Eddie explained. "However, the person chosen to give the amulet to the Sixth disappeared. She hasn't been to the Haven for a long while. Something must've happened to her, but sadly, none of us could contact her. We tried telepathy, but she just ignored it."

"Possessed?" Sonata suggested.

"If 'a long while' means a couple of years, it would be unlikely," Quinn said. "The attacks have only been starting recently, and even if the person might be attacked, she would've been attacking others or making some news we would get. Besides, the pattern of the attacks would be made inconsistent."

"But then, the force contacted Mr. Andersson to get the Sixth. It sent him to New York City," Eddie continued.

"Well, you've got a place already," Casey remarked. "So now you know where to look! Simple!"

"That's the problem," Wilmer sighed.

"Whaddya mean?" Casey said, confused.

"The Sixth is a  _teleporter_ ," Eddie muttered. "And coming to the Haven is definitely not on his to-do list."

**_\---_ **

**_*Translations:_ **

**_"Ja" - "Yes" in German_ **

**_"Guten Tag" - "Good afternoon/day" in German_ **

**_"_ ** **_Hej" - "Hi/Hey" in Swedish (you know, that word you see when you enter Ikea?)_ **


	5. Shouts and Whispers

"Well, isn't  _that_  great?" Quinn arched his eyebrows and faked a smile. "We have to catch a teleporter, who could be literally anywhere in the world and could escape anytime he wants, and bring him here." Quinn's eyebrows and smile straightened. "That's convenient!"

"Oh come on, don't be such a downer mate!" Casey nudged Quinn's arm. "At least when someone is chosen to get him, the amulet will create a portal right to him!"

Jonathan nodded. "That's true, but we'll need to wait for someone to be called to fetch the teleporter first."

Quinn crossed his arms and slumped his shoulders. Eddie sighed. "That's the problem. No one has been sent to get the Sixth since, I don't know, six months to a year ago? Plus, so far about five people tried to get the Teleporter in New York City-"

"That includes Jonathan, who failed," Casey grinned. "Badly."

"Hey! It was hard!" Jonathan scowled.

"I don't understand. Why didn't the teleporter just come along here?" Sonata spat out. "Why doesn't anyone try to go look for him? I know that the person who first went to fetch the Sixth went to New York City. Mr. Andersson was also sent there, along with other people. Why couldn't any of us or someone else go look for him?"

Quinn looked up. "If the Sixth has been pursued that many times, it's pretty safe to say that he really doesn't want to come here for some reason. To add to that, he's a teleporter. He could go anywhere he wants to anytime. That includes escaping people. He's probably a New Yorker as well and knows the city like the back of his hand. Combine that with his constant teleportation, and..." Quinn threw his hands up. "Good luck finding him."

"Don't be so pessimistic," Casey grumbled.

Quinn looked down at her. "I'm not being pessimistic Casey, I'm being realistic."

"Alright guys, you don't need argue or anything," Jonathan stepped in and gave a reassuring smile. "I'm sure we'll get him. We just need to wait."

"Precisely. The time will come when it is time to come," a gentle voice said said from behind.

The group turned around. They saw a short, Indian woman with a black hair bun slowly close the door of the room Jack was in.

"How is he Mrs. Ira?" Eddie asked, his brows furrowed.

Ira sighed. "This is the first time I've inspected one of the victims up close," She shook her head sadly. "It is not like anything I've ever seen."

Eddie sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. Wilmer patted his back.

"So... How long do you think you'll take to figure it out?" Vanessa asked. "Jack's parents will be wondering where he is. He can't just disappear."

"Well, I guess he has to now," Quinn bluntly replied.

"That is true I'm afraid," Ira's head bobbed, making her earrings jangle. "I might be able to temporarily stop it or slightly reduce the effect of the... Thing, but it won't last very long. I'll go back in and try to figure it out."

Ira walked back into the room. Wilmer looked at Vanessa and scratched his silver hair. "Speaking of which, wouldn't your parents be wondering where you are?"

"Shoot. Right!" Vanessa exclaimed. Her sharp voice made Storm look up. He squirmed around and barked.

"Well, you guys better get going," Wilmer turned his head towards Sonata and Jonathan and smirked, changing the mood. He rolled the left sleeve of his white coat and glanced at his silver watch. His eyebrows shot up and his jaw dropped, creating a comical expression on his face. "It's twelve thirty  _midnight_  over there in Germany and Switzerland! Why are you here? Go home!"

"What? No!" Sonata grinned.

"But it's also midnight in Sweden!" Jonathan complained.

Wilmer raised his eyebrows. "Well, I'm an adult and you two are still growing-"

Sonata audibly sighed. Jonathan's face straightened.

"-And you have school tomorrow! Today is just Monday!"

Quinn's eyes suddenly bulged and he cursed. " _Zāo le!_ It's already seven thirty!  _Āi yoo,_  I'm gonna be late!" He whipped his head towards Casey. "My bag's in the library-"

"Gotcha," Casey gave him a finger gun and sped off. She returned with Quinn's navy blue backpack in a second.

Quinn nervously laughed. "Thank you Casey."

Vanessa watched Quinn frantically sling his backpack on. "Where do you have to go?"

"Uh, school," Quinn unzipped a bit of his red jacket, revealing a blue and white school uniform.

"Then... Why are you even here?" Vanessa opened her hand in question.

"Well, I wanted to meet the Fifth," Quinn shrugged. "Plus, school starts at seven twenty, so I intentionally woke up late at six thirty to miss the school bus, so I could have a reason for being late since I'll have to take the public bus to go there as my dad uses the car to go to work."

Vanessa smirked. "Wow."

"Yep," Quinn flashed a quick smile as he flattened his uniform and glanced at his watch. "And... Now I'm ten minutes late for school. Could be worse."

Quinn grasped his violet amulet and pointed it towards the wall. The amulet glowed and a violet-rimmed portal grew on it, revealing an alley surrounded by tall buildings on the other side.

"I've got to go now," Quinn hurried towards the portal. Before he stepped into the portal, he turned around, stiffly raised a hand and smiled. "See you guys around."

The others watched the portal close right after Quinn ran through it.

"See, he's not too bad!" Casey said with a gleeful smile.

"Alright now, you kiddos better go home!" Wilmer glared down at Sonata, Jonathan, and Vanessa. " _Now!_ "

A moment passed before Wilmer broke into a grin and chuckled, making the others smiled and snorted along his contagious laugh. Storm woofed and squirmed some more, also aroused by the enthusiasm in the room. Vanessa lowered Storm and he immediately jumped down. His trotted over to everyone and sniffed the bottom of their legs as Vanessa brushed Storm's fur off her sleeves.

"Do you want me to teach you how to open a portal?" Jonathan asked Vanessa while rubbing his eyes.

"Go home Jonathan, I can teach her," Sonata laughed. "I know you're sleepy."

Jonathan tilted his head and grinned groggily in reply. "It's ok, I can stay here and help for a while."

"Well, I'll leave you mates to it," Eddie said. "I need to check on other things, alright? See you guys sometime!" He tousled Casey's hair which made her giggle. "See you later Scoutie."

Eddie brisk-walked out of the medical bay. Casey bent over and petted Storm as Sonata and Vanessa fished their glowing amulets out.

"What does your dad do here?" Vanessa inquired Casey. "He seems pretty busy."

Casey stopped petting Storm and looked up at Vanessa. "He manages stuff here and deals with lots of problems. Important stuff, like some thingy that's mind-controlling people."

"I guess you could say that if the Haven was a school, Mr. Jones would be a principle," Sonata elaborated. "He's pretty important here and has been working here for a very long time."

"Well, that's because he's from a gifted bloodline, and I'm in it too!" Casey puffed out her chest with a dumb but proud smile on her face. Storm nudged her and forced his head under her hand, demanding Casey to scratch his ears.

Sonata rolled her eyes. Jonathan shook his head and faced Vanessa. "A 'gifted bloodline' is a bloodline where there's always one person per generation that is gifted. The bloodline also excels in learning skills compared to others, since that bloodline is more naturally gifted. Even the non-gifted members of the family bloodline could learn a skill!" He paused in thought. "I think there are only six or seven of them."

"Just six!" Casey's smile grew wider and toothier.

Vanessa sighed.

"You'll have to get used to that," Sonata whispered. "Can you imagine  _her_ running this place?"

Jonathan suppressed a chuckle. Vanessa shook her head and snorted. "I don't even want to know."

"Anyway, onto creating portals," Sonata held her red glowing amulet in her right hand. "When it comes to creating portals - or any skill really-"

"A skill is a 'power' a non-gifted person can learn, by the way," Jonathan informed.

"Ah, right," Sonata nodded. She scrunched her eyebrows. "Where was I? Oh right, portals and skills. The key is visualisation and imagination. I usually tense my hand and imagine energy flowing into the amulet to charge it up for the portal while pointing it at where I want the portal to be."

Vanessa stared at Sonata blankly. "Um, sorry?"

"When you're holding your amulet, try to tense your hand," Jonathan suggested. Vanessa clenched her amulet and did as Jonathan said. "Do you feel something like a force from the amulet, some warmth in your hand, or some prickling sensations?"

Vanessa tensed her hand. A warm and prickling sensation grew. She felt a force trying to push her hand open, as if there was some sort of energy field layered on the amulet that resisted Vanessa's hand. A few seconds later, the sensation intensified. Vanessa's hand became sweaty from the heat, and her hands shook from the uncomfortable but tolerable pricks.

"I do now," Vanessa said. "It feels like the feeling when I stepped into the portal, except it isn't as bad."

"Your body will adapt to it and it'll feel perfectly normal in a few days," Sonata said. "Well, more like your 'aura', which is a layer of energy around your body, just like the force you felt from the amulet's aura. It'll grow stronger as you practice more and will help you absorb and contain energy."

"Now, imagine your destination in your head," Jonathan said. He pointed his own amulet to the wall. "With your destination in mind, imagine a hole opening up, making a door to your destination."

Jonathan's amulet glowed brightly. A bright, yellow streak of energy shot out of his amulet and onto the wall. The streak of energy created a hole on the wall that quickly grew into a portal that showed a bedroom with shelves filled to the brim with books and walls covered with diagrams and a few posters. Storm jumped and ran behind Vanessa and barked at the strange hole in the wall.

Sonata laughed. "Just sleep already, Connie!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just a bit tired..." Jonathan grinned sheepishly.

"Goodbye Jonathan Conrad," Sonata ignored him and playfully shoved Jonathan towards the portal.

"See you around," Vanessa smiled.

Jonathan chuckled and looked down. "I'm so sorry for this. It's not the best first impression..."

"It's alright, go ahead," Vanessa said.

"See you tomorrow..?" Jonathan looked at Vanessa and raised his eyebrows.

"Vanessa," she reminded.

"Right, sorry!" Jonathan apologised. He faced the other two. "Bye guys."

Jonathan walked into the portal and it closed behind him. Vanessa looked back down at her hand that clenched the amulet. Storm froze, puzzled. He cautiously crouched and inched towards the wall where the portal once was and sniffed the area.

"What is it with the different time zones anyway?" Vanessa wondered aloud.

"Time moves the same way in both dimensions," Sonata explained. "Right now, we're in a place that would be Greece in our dimension, and it follows Eastern European Time."

"That's interesting," Vanessa nodded.

Sonata smiled and beckoned her head to the wall. "Go try it out. Imagine your destination opening on the wall."

Vanessa lowered her brows and set her eyes on the wall in focus. She fidgeted and adjusted her posture. She imagined the scenery of the nature reserve she was at, with its tall pine trees towering over her, the dirt path with rocks poking out of it beneath her feet, the small bare shrubs and flower buds growing on the sides of the snow covered path.

A few green sparks flew from the edge of Vanessa's buzzing amulet. A green streak flashed out of the amulet and struck the wall, creating small sparks as it collided on the wall. Vanessa breathed deeply and stared hard at the wall as she focused her mind on her destination. She imagined a hole being ripped on the wall, like wrapping paper being torn off a box.

The small sparks grew more concentrated. Slowly, the sparks aligned and formed a small, green, glowing ring that grew steadily. Vanessa drew another deep breath and furrowed her brows as her hand that grasped the amulet trembled, making the pinhole sized portal grow bigger. A few long seconds passed as Vanessa squeezed the amulet, trying to force her and the amulet to make the portal grow bigger.

She impatiently squeezed the amulet even harder.  _"Just grow bigger!"_  Vanessa thought.

The hole suddenly shrank back to nothing, and the sparks disappeared.

Vanessa cursed under her breath as she dropped the amulet. Its glow instantly dimmed back to its original glow.

"Don't worry, it'll come with practice," Sonata assured with an understanding smile. Vanessa let out an annoyed sigh in reply and frowned. "Now we just need to figure out how to get you home..."

"I can help send her back," Casey suggested. "I can send her to the nature reserve where she was so other people wouldn't see us."

"Ah, right. That's great!" Sonata cheered.

Casey held her amulet and pointed it at the wall. A portal appeared and revealed a dark sky.

Storm jumped again and barked at the portal. Vanessa looked at the portal, then back at Casey with a quizzical look.

"Oh, portals only can be created on solid surfaces that are big enough for a portal," Sonata noted. "So sometimes when you create a portal to, you might end up having a different view than expected since the portal would be created on the ground."

"Oh," Vanessa blinked. "Well, I guess I should go now. Today has been a weird day, and I'm still confused, but... Thanks for explaining."

"Wait!" Casey called out. "Storm can't pass through! His aura isn't strong enough to withstand the portal's energy."

Vanessa raised an eyebrow. Sonata faced Vanessa. "Remember how the amulet stores energy? It also charges your aura and makes it stronger over time. That's why gifted ones could pass through the portal and others couldn't. This will sting a bit." Sonata placed a hand on Storm. He flinched. Vanessa felt the familiar warmth radiating from Storm. "However, we can temporarily charge up auras of other living things. It's easy to do it to small animals like Storm, but it's way harder to do it to another person. Here, I'll carry Storm."

Sonata turned to Casey. "I'll be back for my jacket."

"Right!" Casey said. She waved her hand. "Bye Vanessa!"

"Bye," Vanessa made a small smile. "It was nice to meet you. Sorta."

"Same here!" Casey beamed.

Sonata stepped through first with Storm. Vanessa looked at the portal, took a breath, and step through the portal.

The familiar sensation wrapped her body. She yelled as she exited the portal on the same table. She caught the edge of the portal, pulled herself, and rolled off the table. She sprung to her feet and brushed snow off her sleeves.

"I don't guarantee you'll get used to portalling," Sonata admitted as she let Storm on the ground. She made a face. "I never did."

Vanessa snorted. Sonata chuckled and rubbed her hands. "Alright, so today had been a really confusing day for you, so take a day to..." Sonata made a gesture with her hands. "Just let it all sink in. If you have any questions, you could wait until tomorrow around the same time and Casey will pick you up."

Sonata looked at Vanessa and waved. "See you tomorrow!"

Vanessa waved back and watched Sonata step into the portal before it closed behind her.

\---

 _"So there are a bunch of 'gifted ones' with different powers - or 'gifts',"_ Vanessa recalled in her mind. _"And I am one of them; one of the 'Destined Six', which is a prophecy. There is also another dimension where they all gather to do... Stuff. And now there is an unknown thing possessing and controlling gifted ones, which made my friend attack me."_

Vanessa stopped in her tracks and paused in thought. She looked up at the darkening sky and inhaled the cold, winter air. Storm, who was trotting beside her, stopped and looked up at her.

She looked back down at Storm's black, furry face.  _"So much has happened within twenty minutes,"_ Vanessa thought.  _"I'm not even sure how to process all this."_

Storm snorted and proceeded sniffing around.

_"She smells confused. It must be from that place or the hole."_

Vanessa jumped, eyes wide. Storm perked his silky ears and looked back at Vanessa. They stared at each other for a moment before Storm trotted ahead.

_"That place really got her in a twist!"_

Vanessa stared at Storm. She opened her mouth.

"What?"

Storm turned around again at his owner's voice. He looked around, searching for the person Vanessa's talking to. He trotted back to her and sniffed her leg.

_"Something's up with her."_

Vanessa blinked hard. She shook her head. "What the hell is going on-"

A series of tweets and chirps erupted within the forest. Sparrows, warblers, and woodpeckers chorused together. The distant warning calls spread closer and closer to Vanessa, growing from chitters and twitters into a cacophonous orchestra of shrieks and cries screaming in  _words_. Vanessa cringed and shut her ears as birds within the vicinity of Vanessa jumped off branches and dispersed. Storm's ears perked and his nose twitched. His body stiffened as his nose scanned the air, smelling the aromas the air currents brought him. His tail suddenly tucked between his legs. He trembled and lowered his head, whipping his head in every direction with a look of panic in his eyes.

Storm sprinted to Vanessa and hid between her legs. Alerted, Vanessa's eyes scanned the area, trying to spot the danger. Her posture stiffened and her shoulders hunched, preparing herself for the invisible danger. The deafening voices echoed in her mind and came from every direction. Her heart beated rapidly. She knew there was danger; she could  _feel_ it in her blood that made goosebumps spread on her skin, but she couldn't see it. Adrenaline rushed in her veins as she scooped her frightened dog in her arms and started running towards the exit of the reserve.

Vanessa heard a loud screech. She looked up and saw a goshawk circling overhead. Vanessa gasped in amazement and shock. Goshawks rarely made themselves visible to humans and are usually found deeper in a forest, making it a rare beauty for animal lovers. However, a single goshawk does not create an immense amount of chaos, nor did they join in with warning calls.

The goshawk's screech turned into a scream. Vanessa cringed and wrenched her eyes shut as old and new voices invaded her brain, clouding her mind from her own thoughts. She tightened her mouth and screamed in her mind.

_"What is HAPPENING!?"_

Vanessa shouted as something pushed her off the trail She braced her head as she rolled down the slope, bumping on rocks and plants rooted in the ground. She grunted as her side hit flat ground, the snow lessening the rough impact. Vanessa groaned and pushed herself up, rubbing her arm and looking up the slope. Storm looked down and whimpered.

"Go home Storm!" Vanessa yelled. Storm looked at the trail, back down at Vanessa, whined, and circled around while panting hard.

 _"I'm not leaving you!"_ A frightened voice called out in her head.

Something in the corner of her eye materialised in thin air. Vanessa turned and backed away, watching a dark, shadow-like creature grow before her. It's thin body supported a hood-like head that had two eerie, white eyes. Tendrils of smoke and shadow trailed behind the creature as it glided towards Vanessa.

Its head morphed into a human head. "Alas, the Fifth Destined is here."

Vanessa instantly scrambled up the slope. She planted her foot in the snow and grabbed a rock, pulling herself upwards. The rock she held suddenly unplanted itself and fell, making Vanessa loose her grip and fall back down. She regained her balance and stole a glance of the creature. Its tendrils shot out towards Vanessa. She yelped in surprise and ducked, dodging the tendrils, just for another pair of tendrils to grab Vanessa by her ankles and yank her. She yelled as she fell on her back. More tendrils grabbed Vanessa by her wrists and wrapped around her torso. They pulled her, forcing her to stand upright.

Vanessa cried for help in pain as the tendrils dug into her skin. Storm went into a barking frenzy as he watched his owner being dragged towards the creature. Vanessa tried to yank her wrists away and kick her feet, which made the shadows bite her even harder. She bit her lip and let out a gasp as she struggled, with each attempt making her more tired than the other.

The tendrils yanked her limbs apart. Vanessa sharply exhaled and her head dropped. She gasped for air as the creature pulled her in front of him. It summoned another tendril and pulled her head back. Vanessa swallowed and gasped again, staring into the creature's soulless eyes.

"There is no need to be scared," the creature mumbled, sending shivers down Vanessa's spine. "I can help you. Forever."

Jack's words flashed in her mind. Vanessa wrinkled her nose, furrowed her brows, and glared at the creature. It growled in return.

"I'm  _offering_ you help," it snarled. "All I need is  _that_."

The creature looked down at Vanessa's dimming amulet. Her heart raced and cold sweat trickled down her neck.

Vanessa swallowed. "Who are you? What do you want?"

The creature narrowed its eyes. "Who I am and what I want does not concern you. I am only here to  _help_  you."

Vanessa's breath shuddered. Her head pounded. There was nothing she could do. The voices remained screaming in her head, but none of them could help her.

She squeezed her eyes and gnashed her teeth in pain as the tendrils tightened. Amidst the whispers and shouts, the scream and shrieks, her voice in her head silenced it all with a single cry of distress.

_"Someone please HELP ME!"_

The creature stopped in its tracks. It heard her.

It looking down at Vanessa in mock pity.

"Only  _I_ can help you-"

A loud hiss interrupted the creature. It whipped its head to the right.

A Canadian Lynx pounced right through the creature's shadowy body. The creature froze and staggered in shock, dropping Vanessa on the ground. Vanessa heaved and gasped, using her arms to push herself upright. The creature locked eyes with the lynx and grumbled.

"I do not have time for this!" The creature snapped.

The lynx bared its teeth and snarled, swiping a clawed paw through the creature. The creature summoned a tendril and struck the lynx on the side. It jumped up immediately, snarling and hissing even more loudly than before.

Vanessa groaned and rose. Her head spun. Breathed heavily, she trudged towards the slope and began to crawl. Her wrists and ankles burned, but she clenched her teeth and forced herself to crawl up.

The lynx snarled again and pounced at the creature. A new voice yelled in Vanessa's mind.

_"Get off my territory!"_

Vanessa scrambled to the top of the slope where Storm licked her red hand and wrists. He whimpered and trembled, relieved and petrified. Vanessa moaned and dropped her head. She barely had any energy left in her. Storm tugged Vanessa's sleeves and whined again, pushing his furry head against Vanessa's head. Vanessa let grunt and struggled to stand up. She swallowed a cry as her ankles burned, hoping they wouldn't give way.

Vanessa didn't look back. New voices snapped and snarled in her head. She bit her lip and dug her nails in her hands as she limped towards the exit of the reserve. Vanessa unlocked the gate of the fence, slammed it shut, and locked it. She sighed and dragged herself to the doorstep of her home, strained a smile for her parents, tromped up to her room, and collapsed on her bed. Storm jumped on her bed and snuggled beside Vanessa.

Vanessa breathed slowly. One by one, the voices in her head faded away.

Except for one voice that refused to go away.

_"I am only trying to help you."_

Storm whimpered. Vanessa tried to shake the unnerving voice out of her head.

A final sentence was uttered.

_"We will meet again."_

Then, silence.

**_\---_ **

**_*Translations:_ **

**_"zāo le/糟了" - "Oh shoot/darn/crap" in Chinese_ **

**_"āi yoo" or "āi ya/哎呀" - "My God" in Chinese_ **


	6. To Track a Teleporter

_A stranger in a crowd. An unfamiliar person. A blurry face. Walking, walking, walking, weaving pass people. Eyes darting, shifty and astute. An airy voice, blown by the wind:_

_"Find the one."_

_She whipped her head. No one. Her eye caught something. It disappeared. Eyes scanned the area. Left, right, up, down. She turned around. It flickered away. The wind kept singing to her, hypnotising and enchanting. Then, she felt a breath on her back; a hand on on her neck, then-_

Vanessa jolted awake with a gasp. Her chest rose and fell quickly. She scrambled upright on her bed, pushing her heavy blanket off her chest. She rubbed the temple of her head and groaned. Her head pounded like drum. Tired from sleep, she looked to her right. Morning light poured into her room and shone on the cluttered study desk beside her. She turned her body and sat on her bed, facing her wardrobe across her. She sighed. Her black hair fell on her shoulders as she looked down at her feet. She bent down and rubbed her pale ankles.

The door slowly opened. Vanessa's mom Lauren peeked in.

"Vanessa? Are you alright sweetie?" she asked, worried.

Vanessa rose off her bed with a heave. Heavy-footed, she lumbered across her room to the door.

"Yeah, I'm ok," Vanessa mumbled with a small smile. "I just feel a bit sleepy."

Vanessa looked at the small digital alarm clock that sat on her desk. She sighed. It was seven thirty.

"I called the school today and said you wouldn't come," Lauren placed a hand on her daughter's forehead. "Last night you seemed really sick. You barely touched your dinner and fell asleep way earlier than usual."

Vanessa rubbed her eyes. "I'm feeling a bit better. I can go to school if you want."

"But you don't look too great," Lauren frowned. She inspected Vanessa's pale skin and dark eyebags. "It's best if you stay home and rest. Better safe than sorry." She straightened her ranger reserve uniform. "We might visit the doctor to check you up."

The dark creature flashed in her mind. Vanessa inhaled sharply. "No no, you don't have to.

Lauren looked at Vanessa in concern. "Are you sure?"

Vanessa gave a thumbs up and a weary smile. "I'm good."

Lauren raised an eyebrow. "Really sure?"

Vanessa exhaled and pushed the door handle. "Yes mom, I'm alright."

Lauren tied her blonde hair and followed Vanessa down the stairs. "Well, you're still not going to school."

"I'm pretty sure she'll will be alright with that," Vanessa's dad Kennedy called from below. He was sitting in front of the pantry counter with a mug of warm coffee in hand. "Isn't that right, Nessie?"

Vanessa snorted. She looked at Storm, who was curled up at the bottom of the stairs. Storm looked up and sniffed the air.

_"She's feeling better."_

Vanessa stopped. She looked down and blinked.She walked towards the pantry table and sat down, inhaling the warm aroma of coffee. An idea formulated in her head.

_"Storm? Is that... you?"_

Storm jerked. He stared at Vanessa and tensed up.

_"Is the human talking to me?"_

"Are you gonna stare at Storm or eat that sandwich?" Kennedy asked with a mouthful of bread.

Vanessa snapped out of her stare. "Oh. Right."

Lauren grabbed her uniform's navy blue jacket that hung by the door. "Well, I have to go now. You two stay out of trouble, all right? Vanessa, don't stay outside for too long. I don't want you to get a cold, alright?"

Vanessa nodded and bit off her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Alright mom. Thanks for the breakfast!"

"No problem sweetie," Lauren smiled. "Ken, keep an eye on her."

"Yes mom," Kennedy smirked.

Lauren rolled her eyes and smiled. "And people still ask why I say I have two kids," she muttered as she left the house.

Kennedy sipped his lukewarm coffee. Vanessa took another bite and looked at Storm. He who hobbled towards her and sat down beside her seat, staring up at her with his big, brown, soulful eyes.

 _"She's eating that again,"_ Storm sniffed the air.  _"'Peanut Butter and Jelly'. She really does like that."_

Vanessa diverted her eyes away from Storm. She kept hearing him in her head and tried to ignore him.

 _"That smells good,"_ Storm licked his nose.  _"Really good."_

Vanessa looked at Storm. She pursed her lips.  _"Do you... Do you want some?"_

Storm cocked his head. His small, black tail wagged.  _"Yes human!"_

She tore off a small piece of the bread with peanut butter on it and threw it down to Storm. He stood up, sniffed the bread, and ate it.

 _"I can talk to the human!"_ Storm sat down and stared up at Vanessa again.  _"Now I can help her more and she can get me more 'Peanut Butter'!"_

Vanessa was about to reply before her thoughts were interrupted by a few knocks. Vanessa and her father looked at each other. They weren't expecting anyone.

Storm looked at the door. His nose twitched.  _"It's the girl who smells like cookies and talks a lot!"_

Vanessa's eyes widened.  _"Oh no, oh nonono... Not now!"_

"I'll get it," she said as she walked towards the door. She pushed down the handle and swung the door open, letting a blast of cold wind into the warm house.

"Why is it always so bloody cold here?" Casey shivered beneath the layers of jackets she wore. She looked at Vanessa's pale face. "Eugh, you look terrible mate! What happened?"

"Who's at the door?" Kennedy shouted from inside.

Casey leaned on one leg and peeped past Vanessa. "Who's that?"

"My dad, who does not know who you are and that you exist!" Vanessa spat. "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here!!"

"Ooh," Casey stepped aside and ignored Vanessa's questions. She opened her mouth and shouted. "Hi Vanessa's dad! I'm Casey and I'm one of Vanessa's friends!"

"What!?" Vanessa's sharply whispered. "You can't just say that! We just met yesterday!"

Casey's face fell. "We're not friends?"

"I don't make friends that quickly," Vanessa's tone fell.

Casey shrugged and grinned, placing her hands on her hips. "Well, I'll still call you my friend!"

"Who's Casey?" Kennedy asked again. "I thought your friends were Natalie and Jack."

"You only have two friends?" Casey looked at Vanessa sympathetically. "That's so sad!"

"Wha-" Vanessa raised her hands and breathed in, frustrated. "I like it that way, ok? Just tell me why you're here!"

Kennedy appeared at the door and made Vanessa jumped. "Casey, eh? Nice to meet you."

Casey smiled and waved. Vanessa tried not her best strangle her on the spot.

"Is it alright if Vanessa comes with me for a while?" Casey asked. "I want to see the nature reserve and Vanessa said that she could help tour the place."

"Really?" Kennedy raised his eyebrows and looked down at Vanessa, surprised. He scratched his black and grey hair. "Are you really feeling ok?"

Vanessa suppressed a sigh. "Yes dad, I'm good." She leaned to her father and whispered. "She was annoying me too much and this was the only way I could stop her."

"Ah," Kennedy nodded. "Fair 'nuff. And how did she know our address?"

Vanessa made a subtle shrug. Kennedy eyed Casey. "You know I don't like people knowing our address."

"Trust me dad, neither do I," Vanessa muttered.

Kennedy inhaled and patted Vanessa on the shoulder. "Well, I guess you two should get going now - wait, Vanessa, get changed first. Your mom will kill me if I let you out in those."

"Right," Vanessa backed into the house. "I'll be right back."

Kennedy went in the house and offered Casey some cookies as Vanessa went up to her room and changed. She wore a grey long-sleeved shirt and snow pants. Once she was dressed, she walked down the stairs to Casey.

"Stay safe you two. Especially you Vanessa!" Kennedy warned. "If you get sicker we'll both be dead. In fact, I should probably follow-"

"Bye Vanessa's dad!" Casey waved her hand and clutched Vanessa by the arm. She retraced her steps and pulled Vanessa all the way to the fence of the reserve. Vanessa snatched her hand away from Casey's grip, grabbed Casey by the shoulder, and glared at her.

"Okay okay okay!" Casey raised her hands. "I can explain. Last night, did you get some weird dream about 'finding the one'? Like with some weird ghost lady voice and-"

"Yes Casey, I did," Vanessa replied with a huff. "Can you please tell me what you're up to?"

"We're going to find the gifted one!" Casey beamed. "Well, the Sixth, to be precise!" She jumped up and down in the spot. Vanessa stared at her.

"What?"

Casey stopped and stared back. "What do you mean, 'what'? That dream was the call to go find the Sixth! We're going to look for him!  _Together!_ "

Vanessa crossed her arms and muttered something under her breath. She looked at Casey. "Well, in case you haven't realised, I'm not exactly in the best condition to go manhunting, considering I was just assaulted  _twice_ yesterday; one by my own friend, and another by some shadow creature thing!"

Casey laughed. "You were? Well that's-"

Her expression changed from amusement to shock and fear in a second.

"You  _were!?_ "

Casey looked over Vanessa again, taking note of the pale skin, dark eyebags, and weary expression. Her expression darkened.

"You were attacked by  _that_ thing?" Casey pressed her hands on her head and shook it. "Oh no, this is bad, this is really,  _really,_ bad..."

Casey pointed her amulet on the ground and a portal opened. "C'mon, we really have to get you to Mrs. Ira. She might be able to help you. In fact, did you know she actually discovered quite a lot of stuff? Like for example..."

Vanessa groaned as Casey yakked on, covering her ears with her gloved hands.  _"Out of all people, I just have to paired up with her to look for the Sixth."_

\---

"Daaaaad! Where's Mrs. Ira!?" Casey yelled as she ran down the medical bay, still dragging an irritated Vanessa by the arm. Her eyes moved from Eddie face to Ira beside him. "Oh, there you are!"

  
Eddie looked up from Ira. "Casey! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at home! It's way past bedtime!" Eddie glanced at his watch and sighed loudly. "Why does everyone stay past midnight here!?" His eyes travelled to Vanessa's face. "And Vanessa, you look..."

"Vanessa got attacked by the  _shadow creature thing!!!_ " Casey flailed her arms.

"She did?" Ira looked up and down Vanessa. "Oh dear, it does look like it. Come, I have sort of figured something out that could help you."

Vanessa walked over to Ira. Ira looked up at her and bit her dry lip. "Er, would you mind squating maybe? Or sitting down? You're... Quite tall. Or I'm short. Probably both."

Vanessa smiled as she squatted down beside Ira, who was chuckling. She placed a wrinkled hand on Vanessa's shoulder and closed her eyes. Vanessa jolted as she felt something warm surge through her body. It didn't sting or hurt her, but felt as if a heavy load was lifted off her shoulders. The sensation felt like a warm blanket draped around her. Her muscles relaxed as her skin regained colour.

Eddie looked at Casey. "Jonathan said that he has something to help find the Sixth, right?"

Casey noded. "Is he in the Haven right now? I can go get him."

"Yep. That'll be great," he smiled. Casey grinned back and sped off. She soon returning with Jonathan by her side.

Jonathan's coughed and rubbed his neck. "Now I know why Quinn doesn't like it when you do that."

Ira stepped back from Vanessa. Vanessa blinked a few times. Her vision was sharper and clearer, compared to the dull and slightly blurred view she had. Her body felt energised, making Vanessa flex her wrists and ankles painlessly.

"Better?" Ira smiled.

Vanessa nodded and smiled. "Thanks. I feel... Much better."

"That's great, because I wouldn't let you go hunting for the Sixth in that state," Eddie said. He looked over at Jonathan. "So I've heard that you have something that could help track the Sixth?"

Jonathan nodded and dug into his pocket. "Yes, I do have something. It's a miniature sticky tracker device that you can locate from your phone-"

" _What!?_ " Casey exclaimed. "Why didn't you use that earlier!? D'you know how much time we could've saved-"

"You'd be lucky if you got within a meter's range of him!" Jonathan retorted.

Eddie gestured towards Vanessa. "It's alright, we still have another shot at this. So you just have to stick it on the Sixth and it'll track his movements, right?"

Jonathan nodded. He walked over to Casey and handed her the small tracking device. "Uh, you'll need to download the app first-"

"Yeah yeah, that's the second time you said that. It's almost done downloading," Casey grinned.

"Alright, good," Vanessa said, before pausing for a moment. "Wait, there's wifi here?"

Jonathan gave a brief splutter of laughter. "I think most of us will be screwed if there was no wifi!"

"True, true," Eddie laughed. "C'mon now, you have no time to lose."

"You  _must_ find the Sixth before the creature finds him!" Ira urged. "If the creature gets him first, then..."

"We know what'll happen," Casey responded. She checked the screen of her smartphone. "C'mon, let's go now. The app's done downloading. We do need to find him quickly."

She grasped her amulet and closed her eyes. She reimagined the dream she had in her head, and visualised a portal opening up to that dream. Soon, sparks flew off her amulet and an orange portal appeared on the wall.

"Well, good luck," Jonathan mumbled. "You're really going to need it. Lots of luck. Like, buckets of luck."

"Pfft, we'll totally get 'im!" Casey laughed. "I mean, I'm a bloody  _speedrunner,_ I could always catch up to a teleporter!"

"Right," Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "You do know that it'll be kinda dumb to use your powers in public right?"

Casey shrugged in reply before she stepped through. Vanessa followed after until a hand on her arm stopped her.

Vanessa turned around and Eddie looked her in the eye. He lowered his voice. "Vanessa, Please find him. We can't risk the chance of the creature finding him first. Really."

Vanessa straightened her brows. She solemnly nodded. "I'll do my best."

Eddie placed his hands on his hips. He watched Vanessa step through the portal before it swirled away into nonexistence.

\---

Vanessa stumbled and bumped into Casey. Casey yelped and balanced herself, trying not to fall over into-

"A toilet!? What!?" Casey exclaimed. "Ugh, the portal just had to send us to a bloody toilet stall that smells weird"," Casey grumbled. She held her breath, pulled out her phone from her pocket, and read its screen. "It's currently 9:40 in the morning, New York City. That's pretty awesome, isn't it?"

Vanessa shook her head but smiled. Holding Casey by her arm, she pushed the toilet stall door open and looked around.

"At least the restroom is empty," Vanessa muttered.

Casey nodded. "Yep, the force-thing somehow makes everything much more convenient and all."

Vanessa and Casey left the restroom and was hit with the stench of food. Vanessa made a beeline towards the exit door as Casey looked around the fast food restaurant. The air was filled with the chitter-chatter of a hundred voices. The workers yelled above the racket. People hurried past them and idled by seats, waiting to snag an empty spot. Vanessa muttered 'excuse me's as she pushed her way through crowds until she reached the pair of glass exit doors.

She swung the exit door open. Casey flinched at the cold gust of air that hit her in the face. Casey wrapped her jacket around her tighter as Vanessa jogged to the edge of the sidewalk. Casey followed after her while scanning their surroundings with excitement in her eyes. Before her was a flood of vehicles. A bus drove on the street across her, followed a crowd of bright yellow taxis and cars surrounding it. The diverse mix of people walked past them, holding a phone to their ears, walking alongside another person while talking to them, taking pictures of the buildings around them, or casually taking selfies with themselves or others. The sounds of people talking, traffic lights beeping, and vehicles driving erupted around her ears, composing an orchestra of the city.

Casey gasped. Her mouth stretched into a wide smile. She squeezed her hands and bounced up and down.

"Holy crap, d'you know where we are!?" Casey exclaimed. She didn't wait for a reply. "We're in Time Square!  _Time freaking Square!_  Ohmygosh ohmygosh  _ohmygosh I've never been here before-_ "

Casey yelped as Vanessa grabbed Casey by the arm. The pedestrian traffic light switched into a walking person and beeped. Vanessa jogged across the zebra cross, looking around in every direction. Skyscrapers and buildings filled the view, along with the bright coloured LED advertisements plastered on them. Tourists around them held their phones up and smiled, while locals rushed past them, ignoring the colourful buildings that towered over them. Casey took control of Vanessa's grip and pulled her to a statue in the middle of the road, then stopped to soak in the city view.

Casey squealed with delight as her eyes fell on broadway billboards. "This is  _so cool!!!_  I've always wanted to go here and watch a show or something!" She tugged at Vanessa's arm again and then pointed at the various buildings and signs. "Don't you find this cool!?" Casey opened her palm and caught a single piece of snow. "Hehe, get it?  _Cool?_ "

Vanessa couldn't help but smile at Casey's contagious enthusiasm. She looked at the never-ending crowd of people, and her smile dropped into a frown. "I don't think finding  _a single person_ in here is very cool!"

Casey ignored her remark and walked around. She looked up at the blue sky and watched snow sprinkle down on the city. "We can walk around for a while to see stuff and take pictures!"

"And what about finding the Sixth?" Vanessa reminded. "Remember, that's why we're here."

Casey stopped. "Oh right, that. Eh, usually if we have his amulet it'll sorta lead us to him, but..." She looked at Vanessa's indifferent face. "I'm pretty sure it's easier to look for him while walking around, amirite?"

Casey nudged Vanessa with her elbow. Vanessa shrugged. "You do have a point-"

"Then let's go!" Casey cheered as she sped off. Vanessa groaned as she caught up to the overzealous Australian.

Casey pointed at things and loudly commented here, glancing up and down the buildings and the stores by the road. Vanessa ignored the buildings and focused on the crowd, keeping her eyes peeled for... Someone.

"Do you even know how the Sixth looks?" Vanessa asked.

Casey shrugged. "I dunno. In my dream, whenever I tried to look at him, he'd just... Disappear. It's probably because of the teleporting thing. But," Casey curled her hand into a fist and pounded it on her palm. "I have this gut feeling telling me that I'll know it's him when I see him. I'll just know it!"

Vanessa knew exactly what Casey meant. Even though she didn't know how he looked like, there was a nagging voice in her head that kept telling her that he's near. Her heart pounded as the feeling grew, making her more alert of the random strangers who rubbed against her and nearly collided with her.

Vanessa held Casey's arm. "Just stay near, okay? I don't want to look for another person."

Casey didn't protest as she stuck by Vanessa, still awestruck by the city. Vanessa bit her lip. That obviously meant that they were handicapped by a pair of eyes. She looked at Casey's childlike joy - well, she was still a child - and shrugged off her doubt and kept searching. It felt like she knew who she looking for anyway, even though she didn't have a single clue of how that person looked like and was just wandering around aimlessly-

Vanessa and Casey let out a soft 'oomph' as they bumped into someone. Casey felt something soft fall on her back. She instantly stepped back and looked up at the person who bumped into her.

"Argh, I am so,  _so,_ sorry!" The young man apologised in a British accent, holding out his hand and scratching his golden blonde hair. "Ugh, sorry, I never look at where I'm going. I'm in such a bloody rush!"

"No worries mate," Casey lightheartedly shrugged. "Accidents happen."

The young man shrugged back with a dopey smile, before looking around Casey. "Oh wait, sorry, but I think I dropped my gatsby cap over you. I'll just go get it."

He clumsily walked past Casey, accidentally bumping into her in the process. He spluttered another apology as he reached down to get his cap. He brushed it and stepped backwards, bumping into Vanessa again.

"Argh! I am so sorry again!" the young man flailed his arms. He offered an apologetic look at Vanessa's scowling face.

"You really need to watch where you're going," Vanessa warned, looking over her shoulder.

The man chuckled nervously as he lifted his hands. "Yeah, I'll be sure to be more careful in the future- _AGH!_ "

Vanessa felt a zap go through her body. The young man and Vanessa simultaneously yelled at the same time. She reflexively clutched her amulet and whipped her body around, spotting the man flinch and shake his left hand that was positioned near Vanessa's neck.

The man backed away. He looked down at Vanessa's green amulet, then at Casey's orange amulet, and a wave of realisation hit him.

Vanessa's eyes too landed on the young man's chest. She swore she saw a faint blue flow on his chest.

Vanessa locked eyes with him. The aw man's face fell.

"Aw, hell."

Casey lunged and grabbed the man's sleeve just as he was about to run. "HEY!"

He tugged his arm free, pulled his brown gatsby head on his head, and sprinted away. Vanessa dashed after him, followed by Casey. The young man zoomed into a crowd of people, hoping to lose the two. Vanessa jumped into the crowd and looked for him, trying to spot a tall person with blonde hair or a brown cap that was wearing a brown coat.

Vanessa groaned, frustrated. Casey jogged up to her and laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Vanessa yelled in disbelief, still looking for the Sixth.

"Oh, nothin'..." Casey raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Maaaybe at the fact that I stuck the tracking device on his sleeve..."

Vanessa look of disbelief melted turned into profound amazement. "You did? You actually did!?" 

"Of course I did!" Casey smiled. "I ain't that stupid."

Vanessa sighed in relief. "Alright, so get your phone out! Let's just get this over with!"

Casey dug in her pocket. "Yeah yeah, hold up mate-"

Casey froze. She patted her pocket hard. Her eyes widened and she frowned.

"Oh  _crap,_ " Casey growled. "That bloody pickpocket  _stole_  it!"

" _What!?_ " Vanessa clenched her fists. There goes the chance of getting this over with quickly. "Oh, I swear if I see that guy..."

Agitated, Casey searched for the man. Her eyes darted everywhere, until she spotted him walking on the other side of the road.

"THERE!" Casey sped off towards him. Vanessa yelled in surprise and ran after her.

Casey was fast; there was no doubt about it. Even without using her time-slowing gift, her legs pumped hard and gave her a boost with each step; and her agile feet maneuvered her through the crowd quickly, making short and fast turns while slipping past people. Even Vanessa was impressed by her speed and agility as she lagged behind, watching people jump away in surprise or keep walking, not even noticing Casey slide past them.

Casey skidded and bolted across the street, just a second before the traffic lights turned green. Vanessa stopped and yelled in frustration as cars and buses started moving, covered her view. She bent over and caught her breath, trying to spot Casey past the vehicles. She scanned the street, and her eyes quickly fell on copper-brown haired girl chasing the young man.

Casey ran towards him and yanked his shoulder. "Give my phone back, ya ratbag!" Casey hollered in his ear. He yelled and covered his ear. His frowned deepened and twisted his arm free. Casey kept pursuing him and grabbed the end of his coat. His face made a look of annoyance.

"You want it? Go get it!" The man reached into his coat pocket and threw Casey's phone out. She shouted and dove for her phone, catching it in her hands, as the man sped away and disappeared in the crowd.

The traffic light beeped. Vanessa jogged over to Casey, who planted her hands on her waist. Her smartphone was gripped in her right hand and her cheeks were red. She looked up at Vanessa and gave a thumbs up.

"I got it!" Casey gasped, waving the phone at Vanessa.

Vanessa's shoulders relaxed. "Oh thank God."

Casey rose, still panting. She pressed a button on her phone and tapped the screen. An loading screen appeared, which soon revealed a simple map of her vicinity. A red blinking dot moved along a road, turned into a corner, stopped, and disappeared. Casey tapped a few more buttons and the map zoomed out, creating a blue path that led to the red dot's new location.

Casey grinned. "Welp, it looks like we've finally got 'im!"

Vanessa made a smile of relief and looked at the phone's screen. Casey handed it over to Vanessa. She who looked up at the street's sign, back down at the phone screen, and began walking. Vanessa patted her on the back Casey on the back, making Casey smile.

"Good job Casey," Vanessa congratulated. "We've finally got him."

\---

Footsteps and heavy breaths echoed around him as the young man jogged into an alley. His feet slowed down into a walk. He controlled the rise and fall of his chest, trying to suppress his racing heart. He pushed his black wayfarer sunglasses up the bridge of his nose and watched three burly men approach him. They were all dressed in identical leather jackets and had grey beanies pulled over their heads. The one in the middle stood taller than the rest and lazily drew a breath from a cigarette. The man in leather approached the tall and lanky young man, who further steadied his breath and raised his head.

"Yer late," the man growled, glaring at the young man.

"Sorry 'bout that," the young man's British accent was replaced with his natural New York accent. "I ran a quick errand before I came here and ran into some people, quite literally."

The young man's blue eyes did not look away from the burly man's glare. A few seconds of tension passed, and the man broke the stare and looked at his sidekicks. "Dis ain't the first time yer late, Mike Fisher. Y'know dat me an' the boys are real skeptical about newbies, and so far you ain't impressin' us."

Mike Fisher held his gaze with confidence. "And yet here I am, waiting for the next package to be delivered. You know that I work rather efficiently. Even though I'm late, I still manage to deliver on time or early. If you disagree, I can walk out of here right now and your package will never be delivered, and that's fine by me."

Mike raised his eyebrows and made a small smile. The man's face twitched. "You beddah watch dat tongue of yours. It'll getcha into trouble."

Mike shrugged. "Ah, so I'm told. I am rather infamous for that." He straightened his posture. "So... Are we going to stand here all day, or get going?"

The man looked at his sidekick and nodded. "Get da coca leaves-"

"There he is!" a voice exclaimed.

The voice echoed in the alley. Everyone's heads whipped around.

"Casey you idiot!" an arm tugged her aside.

Mike widened his eyes. "Oh sh..."

The leader of the three glared daggers at Mike. "Who is  _that?_ " He stormed up to Mike and seized him by his collar with his hands. "Did they  _follow_  you here!?"

"Wha-who!?" Mike raised an eyebrow and frowned. "You know, I can't really see clearly them when you're holding me by my collar, so maybe you should let go of me."

The man tightened his grip, snorted, and threw him down on the ground. Mike grumbled as he picked himself up and brushed dirt off his coat.

"Show yerself, or we'll come to you instead!" the man yelled. "And trust me, you ain't gonna like the second option."

Vanessa walked into the alley with her arms crossed, with an uninterested expression on her face. Casey followed behind, hiding behind Vanessa's wide frame.

Mike paused for a moment and chuckled. "Oh,  _her,_ " Mike made a lopsided grin. "My  _girlfriend_ always follows me everywhere nowadays-"

" _Girlfriend?_ " Vanessa laughed. "Sure, and my mom's a  _queen_ -"

Mike loudly chuckled to cover up Vanessa's remark. "C'mon man, give us teens a break. Just... Give the package, and I'll be on my way. Alright? Your stuff gets delivered, and I get my pay on the receiving end, and everyone's happy."

The man glared at Mike. His eyes fell on a red pin stuck on Mike's sleeve. He plucked it off and shoved it in Mike's face. His eyebrows lowered.

"And she used a  _tracking device?_ "

Mike's jaw dropped and failed to hide his surprise. "Waitwha-"

Mike was interrupted by a punch in the jaw. He staggered and stumbled backwards. Rubbing his jaw, he groaned as he looked up at three angry faces staring down at him.

"Wait, guys, c'mon man!" Mike backed away and attempted a smile. "I could explain-"

Mike ducked in time, dodging another incoming punch. He then jerked to the side, avoiding a foot to the stomach.

"You think the othas didn't tell us 'bout ya?" the man swung another punch, which Mike dodged. "Y'may be 'efficient' an' all, but you can't be trusted. For all we know, they might come from  _anywhere!_ The otha gangs, the  _police_ -"

He struck Mike in the chest. Mike coughed hard, but forced himself to stand. Mike blocked a fist to the face with his hand. He drew back his fist and punched the bigger man across the face.

The man blinked, confused. He then flashed his teeth at Mike's face and gripped his shoulder.

"They also said yer a lousy fightah-"

"Oi mates!"

The man froze at the sound of a loud thud that was followed by a series of grunts and groans. He saw his two sidekicks rubbing their heads and looking around, confused.

"Da hell just happened!?" the leader snapped. The other two looked at each other, then at their leader, and shrugged.

The two men shouted in surprise as they felt hits on their bodies. They collapsed as something struck them repeatedly in the gut and back. Casey appeared leaning against the wall, wearing a cocky smile as she examined her handiwork.

The leader looked at the freckled twelve year old, who winked. His jaw dropped.

A body collided against his. He released his grip as Vanessa whipped her arm, striking the man in his nose with the heel of her palm. He yelled as he cupped his nose, just to be elbowed in the face.

The man roared. "Enough of dis crap!" He dug into his back pocket and pulled out a-

"Nope nope  _nope_  let's go  _let's go!_ " Mike's voice rose as he grabbed Vanessa's wrist and bolted out of the alley. "I ain't dyin' here!"

"Whoa! Slow down!" Vanessa panted. Mike didn't listen and kept running as adrenaline took over his legs. He twisted and turned on roads and didn't stop running until he turned into another alley. He dove behind a dumpster and pressed his back against the red wall, then beckoned Vanessa and Casey to hide with a finger pressed to his lips.

Vanessa and Casey crouched beside Mike, uncertain of what to do. Mike held his breath and closed his eyes. He heard the faint footsteps come closer and closer, followed a yell, then more footsteps. Cold sweat dripped down his neck as he waited for the footsteps to fade away.

Ten seconds passed. Mike sighed loudly and his shoulders dropped as he composed himself. Casey gasped and slumped against the wall. Vanessa panted and swallowed. The tension faded away.

Mike abruptly stood with a grunt. "Well, thanks for almost killing me!" He brushed the back of his coat and rubbed his sore chest. Without a word, he walked to the edge of the alley, peered left and right, and strode away.

"Wait, where're you going?" Casey went after Mike. "We need you to come with us!"

Mike turned around and raised his eyebrows. "Yeahhh...  _No._ "

"What?" Casey stood in front of Mike, blocking his way with her short stature. "Why!?"

"I don't want  _anything_ to do with you guys and your little glowing amulets, alright?" Mike stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at Casey. "The fact that you guys almost killed me doesn't help as well. So how about I leave right now, and you can go back to... Wherever you came from, ok?"

"Sorry, not going to happen," Vanessa grabbed his arm and punched him. Mike yelled and recoiled. "That's for stealing Casey's phone."

Mike rubbed his shoulder, and made a sly smirk. "Ah... Tough girl I see?"

He paused, subtly scrunched his eyebrows, and scanned Vanessa's clothes-

_Leather vest: says it all. Some tears on the edges (owned for at least a few years), dirt smudged on back and side along with some faint marks (doesn't bother cleaning it; she just wipes dirt off. Has also been outdoors a lot with this vest). Doesn't want it to get too dirty or tattered, but doesn't get it repaired constantly (very attached to the vest: doesn't want it to break but doesn't want it to be constantly renewed. Personality: most likely doesn't care much about fashion and possibly social status, or maybe doesn't bother spending money to repair small tears and stains. Maybe a money saver or a practical person? Dirt and scratches + snow pants + snow shoes also scream 'practical' and 'down to earth' - literary._

"You wear the attitude quite well, I must say," Mike added. "Hm, I wonder what you'd do if I, let's say... Stole  _something_  from you?"

Mike raised an eyebrow. Vanessa paused, then made a face. "Excuse me?"

"Ugh, c'mon!" Casey raised her arms. "Can't you just come with us?  _Pretty please?_ We came all the way here just to get you to come with us!"

Mike shrugged. "Eh, your fault. I'm still not going. The first time someone said that to me, she disappeared and who knows what happened to her?" He pointed at Casey's amulet. "That thing is bad news. If I was able to take it off, I'd hurl it into the ocean."

"What? No!?" Casey pleaded. "But you  _have_ to come!"

Mike crossed his arms and looked down at Casey. "Fine. You want me to come so badly? Give me one good reason why I should give up this perfect life to join whatever  _you guys_  are doing which possibly involves disappearing off the face of the Earth or getting killed. My life is pretty great right now."

"Says the one who pickpockets and delivers stuff for gangs for a living," Vanessa grumbled. "What were you delivering anyway? I'm  _pretty damn sure_  it's something illegal."

"Hey, it makes quick cash," Mike objected. "Quite a lot of it, in fact! Besides, with this life, I can do whatever I want whenever I want, and I could go anywhere anytime! I don't see why I should stop living like this just to risk my neck and go to wherever you guys are going to bring me, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way to Barcelona or Rome to get more cash, which is where I should've gone today instead of being here with  _you._ "

"B-but-" Casey opened her mouth. Nothing came out. Mike stared at her, pushed his sunglasses up, and began to walk away.

Vanessa inhaled deeply and glowered. She was  _so_   _done_ with this. "You know what? I'm sick of this guy. He either willingly comes along or gets kidnapped."

Vanessa stormed up to Mike. He turned around before Vanessa reached out to him and grinned. "Never thought you'd be the type to chase after me."

Vanessa rolled her eyes. She stepped in front of Mike and glared at him. "Alright, listen here. If you don't join us, your 'perfect life' wouldn't matter anymore. You'll get possessed by some energy-draining creature, do who-knows-what to other people, and spend the rest of your days with no control of your dear life anymore. Who knows? Maybe you'll disappear as well. Maybe you'll  _die_. If you don't join us, I'm very certain you'll have a higher chance of being brainwashed and living the rest of your miserable life doing nothing."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "Being  _brainwashed?_ Sure."

"After finding yourself teleporting across the Earth, watching a sonic-speed girl beat people up, and finding that weird amulet around your neck that zaps you, a creature brainwashing others doesn't sound too far fetched," Vanessa said. "And apparently, the world -  _God help us_ \- relies on you and some others to avoid some kind of apocalyptic takeover."

Mike snorted. "Saying that makes your mom being a queen more believable."

"Oh right, just as believable as you being my 'boyfriend'!" Vanessa retorted. She narrowed her eyes at Mike. "If you don't join us, people will realise that it's your fault that you didn't join us, and when they know that it's your fault, and that they lost  _everything_  they have and know, no one will give a  _damn_  about your life."

Casey widened her eyes.

"Ouch, harsh."

Mike was taken back by Vanessa's speech, but he didn't show it. Instead, he glared down at Vanessa, who returned the stare with crossed arms.

Mike broke the tension and smiled. "Heh. Who knew?" He leered at Vanessa. "I like your moxie."

Vanessa felt a gush of wind as Mike teleported away and reappeared behind her. "Say, why don't we... Get to know each other more?" He teased as he slid his hand across her shoulder and waist. "Then maybe I'll think about it and come."

Vanessa's face reddened and her eyes widened. Casey jumped and glared at Mike.

"Out of the question, buster!" Vanessa scowled and swung a fist back at Mike, who dodged it.

Mike chuckled. "Ahem. It's Fisher," Mike raised his eyebrows. "Mike Fisher." He tilted his head and made a small smile. "And you are..?"

Casey rolled her eyes. She looked around, looking for a security camera. When she made sure there weren't any, she walked to the back of the dumpster and popped a portal beside it on the floor. Mike looked down at the portal and walked towards it, mildly intrigued.

"Maybe if you come, she'd tell you," Casey shrugged.

"He'd already be  _dead_  if I ever told him!" Vanessa snapped.

"I'm pretty sure you'll tell me," Mike snickered. He looked into the unfamiliar side of the orange portal, clasped his hands, and looked at Casey. "Well, that's a really nice looking portal, but I do believe I should be on my way unless- _ARGH!_ "

Mike shouted as Vanessa shoved him into the portal. Casey gaped and looked at Vanessa in amazement. She laughed and looked at Vanessa, who looked like she was going to bite someone's head off.

"I hope he falls flat on his face."


End file.
